Thomas Harriot was the finest English mathematician before Isaac Newton, but his work on the coinage of his country is almost unknown, unlike Newton’s. In the early 1600s Harriot studied several aspects of the gold and silver coins of his time. He investigated the ratio between the values of gold and silver, using data derived from the official weights of the coins; he used hydrostatic weighing to determine the composition of the coins; and he studied the methods used to calculate how metals should be combined in order to produce the required standard of purity. This work required not only arithmetical skill, but also great insight into the relationships between the various quantities, and here his ‘greate invention of algebra’ played its part. The gold and silver coins were critically important in the national economy at that time, because they had intrinsic value and represented the country’s store of wealth. In his lifetime Harriot was supported by the patronage of Henry Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, who was a member of the Privy Council in 1604 when great changes to the English coinage were being made. After Harriot’s death his papers remained under the control of one of his executors, Sir Thomas Aylesbury, who became Master of the Tower Mint in 1635. These facts suggest that his work on the coins was considered to be important for practical reasons, not just academic ones. In this article the interplay between the scholarly work and its application to matters of national significance will be analysed in depth. The conclusions also throw some light on the long-standing mystery surrounding the fate of Harriot’s papers.

中文翻译：

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托马斯·哈里奥特 (Thomas Harriot) 谈英格兰铸币

托马斯·哈里奥特 (Thomas Harriot) 是艾萨克·牛顿 (Isaac Newton) 之前最优秀的英国数学家，但与牛顿不同，他对本国铸币的研究几乎无人知晓。在 1600 年代初期，Harriot 研究了他那个时代的金银币的几个方面。他使用来自硬币官方重量的数据调查了金银价值之间的比率；他使用静水称重来确定硬币的成分；他研究了用于计算金属应如何组合以产生所需纯度标准的方法。这项工作不仅需要算术技巧，还需要对各种数量之间关系的深刻洞察，而他的“创造代数发明”在这里发挥了作用。金银币在当时的国民经济中占有举足轻重的地位，因为它们具有内在价值，代表了国家的财富储备。哈里奥特一生得到诺森伯兰伯爵亨利·珀西的支持，他在 1604 年成为枢密院成员，当时英国铸币正发生重大变化。哈里奥特死后，他的论文仍由他的一位遗嘱执行人托马斯·艾尔斯伯里爵士控制，他于 1635 年成为塔造币厂的主人。这些事实表明，他在硬币上的工作被认为是出于实际原因而不仅仅是学术上的重要那些。在本文中，将深入分析学术工作与其在具有国家意义的问题上的应用之间的相互作用。这些结论也为围绕 Harriot 论文命运的长期谜团提供了一些线索。