Pappus Of Alexandria
Pappus, regarded as an important Greek mathematician, was born in Alexandria in Egypt. His interest in mathematics is said to have began from when he observed a solar eclipse on October 18, 320 and then since has focused his work on geometry. Everything associated with Pappus mathematical mind was included in the collection of books he wrote called ‘the synagogue’. The purpose of the volumes were to revive geometry and restore it to a level of significance, usually by providing further explanations or supplements to the works of previous geometers. The knowledge of some mathematicians was only a result from his citation.‘The Synagogue’ consisted of 7 books although the first 2 books are missing. Book III distinguishes plane, solid and linear problems and a summary of finding two mean proportionals (a:x=x:y=a:y). He shows that given two of the numbers a, b, c and the type of mean the third can be calculated.
In Book VIII Pappus deals with mechanics. We quote Pappus\'s own description of the subject (see for example [3]):- Book VI determines the center of an ellipse in relation to the circle. This volume is called ‘Little Astronomy’ due to its associations with nature. It also covers optics, reflection and refraction of light. The science of mechanics, my dear Hermodorus, has many important uses in practical life, and is held by philosophers to be worthy of the highest esteem, and is zealously studied by mathematicians, because it takes almost first place in dealing with the nature of the material elements of the universe. for it deals generally with the stability and movement of bodies about their centres of gravity, and their motions in space, inquiring not only into the causes of those that move in virtue of their nature, but forcibly transferring others from their own places in a motion contrary to their nature; and it contrives to do this by using
Some topics in this essay:
VIII Pappus,
Book IV,
Alexandria Egypt,
Book VII,
Book VI,
Pappus Guldin,
Mathematical Collection,
Book III,
Alexandria Pappus,
‘the synagogue’,
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Approximate Word count = 647
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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