Mathematics includes dozens of fields and hundreds of subfields. Algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry, calculus, geography and astronomy were all means by which the friars could analyze patterns of behavior to facilitate both scientific experimentation and improve daily life. Foundations and vaulting, inertia and motion, matter and essence, natural and supernatural phenomena, engineering, medicine, biology, navigation, architecture, music, finance, statistics, logic, problem-solving and decision-making were all included in the bountiful harvest of applied mathematics.
In the world of finance, Friar Luca Pacioli (1445-1517) was considered the finest mathematician that the University of Bologna ever produced. He is known as the Father of Modern Accounting. Here’s a brief video introducing Friar Luca.
This series is from a presentation by Friar Joseph Wood, Assistant General for the CFF.