Background
He was born in Aberdeen, possibly in 1582, according to a print which suggests he was aged 35 in 1617.
He was born in Aberdeen, possibly in 1582, according to a print which suggests he was aged 35 in 1617.
lieutenant is unknown where he was educated, but it is likely that he initially studied writing and philosophy (the "belles lettres") in his home city of Aberdeen.
He then went to the continent, and was a professor of mathematics in Paris by the start of the seventeenth century. There he published or edited, between the years 1612 and 1619, various geometric and algebraic tracts. He described himself as having "more wisdom than riches" in the dedication of Vindiciae Archimedis (1616).
He was first cousin of David Anderson of Finshaugh, a celebrated mathematician, and David Anderson"s daughter was the mother of mathematician James Gregory.
