Calculus was developed and invented in a more gradual and distributed manner before Isaac Newton. Key contributors before Newton included:
- The Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics in 14th century India around 1350, with mathematicians such as Madhava and Nilakantha discovering important components of calculus including the infinite series. This predates Newton by about 250 years and reflects a significant early form of calculus concepts developed outside Europe.
- Ancient Greek mathematicians like Archimedes (circa 287–212 BC) contributed foundational ideas similar to integral calculus by using methods such as the method of exhaustion to find areas and volumes. Archimedes also worked on curves and tangents, early glimpses of differential calculus concepts.
- In other ancient and medieval cultures, including Arab mathematician Ibn al-Haytham and the intellectual exchange between the Middle East and India, elements of calculus were explored though not fully unified into the modern system.
Thus, while Newton is credited with formulating and systematizing calculus in the late 17th century, the mathematical ideas behind calculus had been explored and partially developed by scholars in India, ancient Greece, and other places long before him.
Newton and Leibniz independently invented the calculus system as we know it, but many precursors existed earlier that laid foundational groundwork. This provides a broader historical perspective on the invention of calculus before Newton.
