Portrait of Isaac Barrow

Isaac Barrow

English Christian theologian, and mathematician

Lived
1630–1677

Updated September 2026

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About Isaac Barrow

Isaac Barrow was an English Christian theologian and mathematician who is generally given credit for his early role in the development of infinitesimal calculus; in particular, for a proof of the fundamental theorem of calculus. His work centered on the properties of the tangent; Barrow was the first to calculate the tangents of the kappa curve. He is also notable for being the inaugural holder of the prestigious Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a post later held by his student, Isaac Newton.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.