Tenby is squaring up for a momentous mathematical anniversary to honour the man who invented the equals sign.

Robert Recorde, a scholar and physician, was born in the town 500 years ago, where events to mark his birthday are being planned.

A major art exhibition, a display of his works and a lecture are being lined up by Tenby Museum and Art Gallery, which is being backed by a £500 donation from the town council.

Tenby Chamber of Trade is also joining the celebrations, and is planning a tug-of-war competition to signify the equals sign.

Recorde was the second son of a mayor of Tenby, and entered Oxford University at the age of 15.

“Recorde was not only a mathematical genius and an able teacher, but he also was one of the outstanding scholars of the 16th century,” said museum honorary curator, Dr Mike Brew.

“He is so important that his book, The Whetstone of Witte, in which he introduced the equals sign — and a copy of which is held by the museum — is included in a BBC website called A History of the World.”

The site aims to create a unique digital museum online, and The Whetstone of Witte was chosen to reflect the story of mathematics and scientific invention, and the enormous impact these had on the world.

In the book, Recorde records the equals (=) sign for the first time, “bicause noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle”.

The museum’s honorary librarian, Sue Baldwin, said they were ‘delighted’ to have an object selected to help tell the history of the world.

She added: “Robert Recorde’s work had a huge impact on mathematics, and plays an important role in all walks of life. Recorde was obviously a genius and a polymath, writing knowledgeably on numerous subjects, and Tenby should be proud of him.”

The book will be featured in a new BBC series, Wales and the History of the World, presented by rugby broadcaster and journalist Eddie Butler, in the spring. Another Tenby Museum artefact will also be shown — a sword taken from the French invasion forces at Fishguard in 1797.