Mathematician of the Week

John Napier was born in Marchiston Tower, part of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, before that country was part of the United Kingdom.  Nicknamed “Marvelous Marchiston” by his peers, Napier is relatively unknown outside of mathematics.  His advances, though, were amazing.  He invented logarithms, a powerful math tool that revolutionized both math and science.  He also popularized the use of the decimal point in writing numbers, making calculations by hand much easier.  Today, the University of Napier, in Edinburgh, is named for this famous mathematician.

Question of the Week:  What alternate unit of sound to the decibel is named after John Napier?