In A.D 1759, Francis Maseres, an English mathematician, wrote that negative numbers
"darken the very whole doctrines of the equations and make dark of the things which
are in their nature excessively obvious and simple". He came to the conclusion that
negative numbers were nonsensical. <br><br>

Maseres, Francis (1731 - 1824). A dissertation on the use of the negative sign in
algebra: containing a demonstration of the rules usually given concerning it; and
shewing how quadratic and cubic equations may be explained, without the
consideration of negative roots. To which is added, as an appendix, Mr. Machin's
Quadrature of the Circle, 1758. Quoting from Maseres' work, "If any single quantity
is marked either with the sign + or the sign ¡Ý without affecting some other
quantity, the mark will have no meaning or significance, thus if it be said that the
square of ¡Ý5, or the product of ¡Ý5 into ¡Ý5, is equal to +25, such an assertion
must either signify no more than 5 times 5 is equal to 25 without any regard for the
signs, or it must be mere nonsense or unintelligible jargon."