Luca Pacioli

Luca Bartolomeo de Pacioli was an Italian mathematician and Franciscan friar. He lived from about 1447 until 1517.

He is best known for his work in accounting. People often call him the father of accounting and bookkeeping. Pacioli worked with the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci.

One of Pacioli's most important contributions was publishing the first book about the double-entry system of bookkeeping in Europe. This system helped people keep better track of money and business deals. Because of this, Pacioli is remembered for helping create modern accounting.

Pacioli was born in a place called Borgo Sansepolcro in Tuscany. He was sometimes known as Luca di Borgo because of this. His work made it easier for businesses to manage their money and records.

Life

Luca Pacioli was born between 1446 and 1448 in the Tuscan town of Sansepolcro. He learned skills useful for merchants. His father was Bartolomeo Pacioli, but Luca grew up with the Befolci family in Sansepolcro. Around 1464, he moved to Venice, where he continued studying and worked as a tutor for three boys.

Between 1472 and 1475, Luca became a Franciscan friar and began teaching in Perugia. He wrote a textbook for his students and later taught mathematics privately. In 1494, his important book, Summa de arithmetica, geometria, Proportioni et proportionalita, was published in Venice. In 1497, he moved to Milan to work for Duke Ludovico Sforza, where he met and taught Leonardo da Vinci. They had to leave Milan in 1499 when Louis XII took over the city. Luca Pacioli passed away around the age of 70 on 19 June 1517, probably in Sansepolcro.

Mathematics

Further information: Mathematics and art

Luca Pacioli wrote many books about mathematics. One of his important books, called Summa de arithmetica, geometria. Proportioni et proportionalita, was published in Venice in 1494. This book shared ideas about math from that time in a language people could understand. It also described a special way merchants kept track of their money, called the double-entry accounting system. Pacioli explained how to record purchases and sales. He also talked about fair ways to handle money and shared a clever math trick called the Rule of 72.

Another book, De viribus quantitatis, written between 1496 and 1508, mixed math with fun tricks. It had puzzles and magic tricks. This book was not published during Pacioli’s life and was found much later. He also wrote about geometry and special numbers that make beautiful shapes in architecture, working with famous artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Impact on accounting and business

Luca Pacioli changed accounting by describing a method called double-entry. This helped businesses manage their work better and become more successful. His book on accounting was used around the world for many years. The basics of this method have stayed the same for over 500 years.

The ICAEW Library at Chartered Accountants' Hall has all of Pacioli's published works. You can see parts of two of his books, 'Summa de arithmetica' and 'Divina proportione', online using an interactive tool called Turning the Pages made by the British Library.

Chess

Around 1500, Luca Pacioli wrote a book about chess called De ludo scachorum. It wasn’t published at the time, and people thought it was lost. In 2006, a copy was found in a big library in Gorizia. In 2008, the book was printed again in Pacioli’s hometown. Because Pacioli worked with Leonardo da Vinci, some people think Leonardo might have helped with the chess problems or pieces in the book.