1707-1775

Italian mathematician and engineer best known for his work on hyperbolic functions. Riccati, the son of a mathematician, used hyperbolic functions to find the roots of cubic equations, among other uses. In fact, Riccati was the first to use hyperbolic functions, and led the way toward finding ways to add them and determine their derivatives. He was also a talented hydraulic engineer who contributed to a project to help control flooding in the regions near Venice and Bologna.