Rene Descartes

Rene Descartes is a French scientist, mathematician, and philosopher. He invented an advanced system of coordinates. Although he has earned the name "The Father of Modern Philosophy," he invented something that was in the math group. The Cartesian Coordinate system is a system that was able to specify each point in a plane by pairs of numerical coordinates. There are two perpindicular lines in the middle that measure the same length each way. Each smaller line is called a coordinate axis if the system. The origin of the coordinate plane is at the ordered pair (0, 0). Each place on the graph is represented by an ordered pair, written as (__ , __)

As you can see in the image below, which is a Cartesian coordinate plane, there are four points that are marked. There are four quadrants. Q I is in the top right, Q II is in the top left, Q III is in the bottom left, and Q IV is in the bottom right. Also, the two axis' x, and y are in the image. Y goes up and down, and when representing the ordered pair, you would do (__ , Y). The X axis goes left and right, and when doing ordered pairs, you would do the X first (X, __). Overall it would be the X first, and the Y next (X, Y). In Q I, both coordinates are positive numbers. In Q II, the X will be negative and the Y will be positive. In Q III, both numbers are negative. In Q IV, the Y will be negative, and the X will be positive.

Many people consider Descartes to be a genius becuase not only did he invent the coordinate grid, but he also made huge contributions to optics, physiology, and psychology. In optics, he studied about the reflection of light and the refraction of it. He studied cosmology and matter. With the study of matter, he made up many theories about how matter is made, and the formulation of heavenly bodies. His contributions to the Scientific Revolution were massive and helped the world expand their knowledge on matter, philosphy, space, etc. He is important to the Renaissance because he helped people know more in mathematics, science, and philosophy with his teachings, discoveries, inventions, and books. He represents the ideals of the Renaissance because he helped the knowledge in humanism, individualism, skepticism, and versatility. He questioned masny things about the Earth and if humans were real, if they were the smartest animals on the planet, etc.