Introduction of Methodus Fluxionum to Italy

In this problem, we are looking for the historical figure responsible for bringing Isaac Newton's famous work on calculus, the Methodus Fluxionum et serierum infinitarum, to Italy.

Let's start by identifying the work mentioned. Published posthumously in English as 'The Method of Fluxions and Infinite Series' in seventeen thirty-six, this treatise contains Newton's fundamental developments in calculus.

While Newton was the author, the question asks who brought this knowledge to Italy. Let's look at our options.

Option A, Isaac Newton, did not travel to Italy to promote his work. Option D, Wilhelm Leibniz, was Newton's rival in the invention of calculus and promoted his own differential notation, which was very popular in continental Europe, including Italy.

So we are left with Jacopo Riccati and Felan Rodrigues. Historically, the spread of Newtonian calculus in Italy is often linked to the correspondence and activities of the Italian mathematicians in the early eighteenth century.