François Viète (Latin: Franciscus Vieta; 1540(明.嘉靖19年) – 23 February 1603(万历31年)), Seigneurde la Bigotière, was a Frenchmathematician whose work on new algebrawas an important step towards modern algebra, due to its innovative use of letters as parameters in equations.
The task of the mathematicians was in fact twofold. It was necessary to produce algebra in a more geometrical way, i.e., to give it a rigorous foundation; and on the other hand, it was necessary to give geometry a more algebraic sense, allowing the analytical calculation in the plane. Vieta and Descartes solved this dual task in a double revolution. Firstly, Vieta gave algebra a foundation as strong as in geometry. He then ended the algebra of procedures (al-Jabr and Muqabala), creating the first symbolic algebra and claiming that with it, all problems could be solved (nullum non problema solvere).
Vieta was the first mathematician who introduced notations for the problem (and not just for the unknowns). As a result, his algebra was no longer limited to the statement of rules, but relied on an efficient computer algebra, in which the operations act on the letters and the results can be obtained at the end of the calculations by a simple replacement. This approach, which is the heart of contemporary algebraic method, was a fundamental step in the development of mathematics. With this, Vieta marked the end of medieval algebra (from Al-Khwarizmi to Stevin) and opened the modern period.
Problem
''今有物不知其数，三三数之剩二，五五数之剩三，七七数之剩二。问物几何？''
This puzzle can be translated into the solution of the system of congruences
$$x \equiv 2 \pmod 3\\x \equiv 3 \pmod 5\\x \equiv 2 \pmod 7$$
https://www.encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php/Mathematical_symbols
