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Biographical Information:
Frans van Schooten[1] (1615-1660) was the son of Frans van Schooten, a professor at the engineering school in Leiden who was also involved with military engineering projects. Little is known about Schooten (the younger) prior to his enrollment in the university in Leiden in 1631. Though he received an intense education in mathematics, there is no mention of him completing his degree. While in Leiden in 1637 Schooten met Rene Descartes and developed a close and strong relationship with him, evening reading the proofs of Descartes’ Geometry. Soon afterwards with an introduction from Descartes, Schooten left the confines of Leiden, and traveled abroad to meet members of the mathematical communities in London and Paris (Mersenne’s circle).
His travels lasted until 1643, after which time he returned to Leiden and published the works of Viète and Descartes. He became an assistant to his father at the university, and two years later in 1645, upon the death of his father, received his father’s position at the university. Schooten became one of the main people to promote the spread of Cartesian geometry, and trained many students including Jan DeWitt, Christian Huygens, Johann Hudde, and Hendrick van Heuraet. Schooten’s own work, the Geometria a Renato Des Cartes, appeared in two volumes 1659-1661. But many considered Schooten’s contributions to mathematics modest at best, especially his 1657 work Exercitationes mathematicae.
Sources for Further Information on Schooten:
[1] Picture obtained from http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Posters2/Schooten.html