In the area of geometry, the members of this school developed the properties of parallel to prove that the sum of any angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles. They also worked with proportion to study similar figures. The deductive side of geometry was further developed during this time. We all think of the Pythagorean Theorem when we think of Pythagoras, however it is important to note that this theorem was used although it may not have been proved before his time.
As an interesting side note, Pythagoras was regarded as a religious prophet by his contemporaries. He preached the immortality of the soul and reincarnation, and he even organized a brotherhood of believers. This brotherhood had initiation rites, they were vegetarian, and they shared all property. They did, however, differ from other religious groups in one major way. They believed that elevation of the soul and union with God was achieved through the study of music and mathematics.
Hippocrates of Chios was one of these students at the Pythagorean school. He studied the problem of squaring a circle and squaring a lune. Although Plato did not make any major mathematical discoveries himself, he did emphasize the idea of proof.
He insisted on accuracy, which helped pave the way for Euclid. It is correct to say that almost every significant geometrical development can be traced back to three outstanding Greek geometers: Euclid, Archimedes, and Apollonis.
Euclid is the most widely read author in the history of mankind. Typically, the next mentioned Greek mathematician is regarded as the greatest Greek mathematician by geometryalgorithms. His name was Archimedes of Syracuse. He had many mathematical accomplishments as well as being the inventor of the screw, the pulley, the lever, and other mechanical devices. He perfected integration using the method of exhaustion discovered my Eudoxus, and he was able to find the areas and volumes of many objects.
Inscribed on his tomb was the result he found that the volume of a sphere is two-thirds the volume of its circumscribed cylinder.
Apollonius was an astronomer who had his mathematical bid to fame in his work entitled Conic Sections. Classical geometers like Thales, Pythagoras, and later on, Plato, talked about things like eternal forms and the axiomatic method and these principals are still in use today.
The Pythagorean theorem, which was developed by Pythagoras, is still an essential part of geometry today. As Ancient Greece developed further into another era, the discipline of geometry gained even more momentum. Geometers like Euclid and Archimedes further built on the principals that others before them developed and studied.
Euclid was focused on defining geometric principals, while Archimedes put these principals to use to fuel his inventions. In particular, Euclid created a thirteen volume series of books called the Elements of Geometry that describe different principals of geometry.
The surviving portions of this source are still used today to help us understand geometry even further. One thing that set Euclid apart is that he spent a lot of time specifically defining different aspects of geometry. Greek geometry eventually passed into the hands of the great Islamic scholars, who translated it and added to it. In this study of Greek geometry, there were many more Greek mathematicians and geometers who contributed to the history of geometry, but these names are the true giants, the ones that developed geometry as we know it today.
Martyn Shuttleworth Jan 8, Greek Geometry. Retrieved Nov 11, from Explorable. The text in this article is licensed under the Creative Commons-License Attribution 4. That is it. You can use it freely with some kind of link , and we're also okay with people reprinting in publications like books, blogs, newsletters, course-material, papers, wikipedia and presentations with clear attribution.
Menu Search. Menu Search Login Sign Up. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Sign up Forgot password. Leave this field blank :.
Search over articles on psychology, science, and experiments. Search form Search :. Reasoning Philosophy Ethics History. Psychology Biology Physics Medicine Anthropology. Martyn Shuttleworth Don't miss these related articles:. Augustine 8. Euclid, illustrating geometry in "The School of Athens", by Raffaello Sanzio Public Domain Certainly, for measuring boundaries and for erecting buildings, humans need to have some inbuilt mechanism and instinct for judging distances, angles, and height.
Back to Overview "Ancient History". Next Article » "Archimedes". Full reference:. Want to stay up to date? Follow us!
0コメント