Continued proportions and Tartaglia's solution of cubic equations (Q891753)

This article examines Tartaglia's and Cardano's solutions of cubic equations, concluding that the two pursued different approaches. In particular, while Cardano handled cubics with quadratic terms by reducing them to cubics without quadratics, Tartaglia had arrived at general solutions for cubics with quadratics years before he was able to do so for those without quadratics. The author finds Tartaglia's strategy for the with-quadratic case to be based on Pacioli's treatment of continued proportions.