Francois Viete

François Viète (1540–1603) was a French mathematician and lawyer who revolutionized algebra through his innovative use of letters to represent both known and unknown quantities in equations, earning him the title 'father of modern algebraic notation'[1][7]. He served as a privy councillor to French kings Henry III and Henry IV while pursuing mathematics in his spare time[1][5]. His work on algebraic notation and the theory of equations laid the foundation for modern algebra and inspired subsequent mathematicians like Fermat and Descartes[4].