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Wilhelm Leibniz was raised by his mother at a very early age, following
the death of his father, a professor of philosophy. Leibniz became driven
to academic success, apparently motivated at least in part by a desire
to learn about his father by reading his published works. His early
academic career centered on the study of philosophy, and he entered
graduate school with the intention of practicing law. While his university
training began at the age of 14, because of his interest in the law,
he did not begin formal training in mathematics until he changed his
academic focus to mathematics after he turned 25. This is unusual; most
of mathematicians who go on to make significant advances express an
interest in the subject at a much earlier age. As a young man, Leibniz
focused much of his effort into designing, then building a mechanical
calculating machine, which he planned to use to as an aide in his research.
He was interested in the ongoing development of calculus, and is credited
for the creation of the integral symbol. While Newton is commonly identified
as the inventor of calculus, Leibniz' work has since proven to be more
easily understandable, and more closely resembles the forms that we
use today. His most lasting contribution is in the development of differential
and integral calculus, although he also worked in number theory and
applied physics and mechanics. Late in his life he apparently was very
defensive about his role in the development of calculus, fending off
occasional attacks from mathematicians who claimed that his work was
pilfered from previously published results.
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