Person: Rui, Li
Li Rui was a Chinese mathematician who produced commentaries on important Chinese mathematical works.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- We give some information in Cheng Dawei's biography about this work from which Li Rui gained his mathematical expertise.
- At the Ziyang Academy Li Rui was taught mathematics by the director of the Academy, Qian Daxin (1728-1804).
- Qian Daxin wrote a commentary on the San Tong Li and, in 1791, Li Rui wrote a postscript to this work by his teacher.
- He gathered a team round him to undertake this task and two members of the team were Qian Daxin and Li Rui.
- Li Rui now undertook a number of important tasks.
- The original work by Li Zhi on inscribed and circumscribed circles had been written in 1248.
- Li Rui also wrote a commentary on another of Li Zhi's works, namely Yi gu yan duan (New steps in computation) which was originally written in 1259.
- From 1795 when he went to assist Ruan Yuan in Hangzhou until the Chouren zhuan or Biographies of astronomers and mathematicians was published in 1799 Li Rui contributed to the work and to several other works.
- In addition to those listed above, he wrote the Hu Shi Suan Shu Xi Cao (Commentary of Calculations of Arcs and Segments), the Zhong Ke Ce Yuan Hai Jing Xi Cao, and the Ri Fa Shuo Yu Qiang Ruo Kao (Studies of Denominator of Tropical Year).
- After the compilation was completed Li Rui and Jiao Xun studied mathematics together around 1800.
- Li Rui continued to contribute to commentaries produced by others, and in 1802 he wrote a postscript to Commentary of Qi Gu Suan Jing by Zhang Dunren (1754-1834).
- Li Huang was one of the commentators on the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.
- He lived in Beijing and when Li Rui went there in 1810 to take civil service examinations, he lived in Li Huang's home.
- Li Rui failed his examinations, but he made an important discovery in Li Huang's home for there he found a copy of the Yang Hui Suan Fa ("Yang Hui's Method of Computation").
- Finding the book was a great thrill to Li Rui who published it in 1814 with a postscript written by himself.
- In 1813 while working on his edition of the lost work by Yang Hui, Li Rui wrote the Kai Fang Shuo (Theory of Equations of Higher Degree).
- He was a highly productive mathematician at the height of his abilities, making very useful contributions to Chinese mathematics, when sadly he died in 1817.
Born 8 December 1768, Yuanhe (now Suzhou, Jiangsu province), China. Died 30 June 1817, China.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Ancient Chinese, Chinese, Origin China
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
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- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
