CH'IN CHIU-SHAO

born c. 1202, P'u-chou, Szechwan province, China died c. 1261, , Mei-chou, Kwangtung province Pinyin Qin Jiushao, literary name (hao) Tao-ku Chinese mathematician who developed a method of solving numerical polynomial equations in any degree-a process of successive approximations rediscovered in Europe in the 19th century and known as the Ruffini-Horner procedure. In 1219 Ch'in joined the army as captain of a territorial volunteer unit and helped quash a local rebellion. He later held numerous government posts, rising to provincial governor of Ch'iung-chou (in modern Hainan). Charges of corruption and bribery brought his dismissal from the governorship in 1258. Ch'in's most important work is the great Shu-shu chiu-chang ("The Nine Sections of Mathematics"). This work, known under many titles, was incorporated into important scientific compilations in the 15th and 17th centuries. It represents the pinnacle of the development of indeterminate analysis in China.