Apollonius of Perga
Apollonius of Perga may not have known his contemporary Archimedes, but he did improve upon Archimedes' calculation of the value of π.Greek Geometer
262 B.C.E.–190 B.C.E.
Apollonius, known as "The Great Geometer" to his admirers was born in 262 B.C.E. in the Greek colonial town of Perga in Anatolia, a part of modern Turkey. Apparently Apollonius's intellectual ability was recognized early, and as a young man he attended the university in Alexandria, Egypt, where many of the great scholars of that time were gathered.
Apollonius's teachers had studied with Euclid (c. 330–c. 260 B.C.E.), who is regarded as the most outstanding mathematician of ancient times. Apollonius quickly gained a reputation for his thorough and creative approach to mathematics and was made a professor at the university.
Apollonius wrote a number of books on mathematics, especially geometry. He gathered, correlated, and summarized the mathematics of his predecessors. More importantly, he extended their work and made many creative and original contributions to the development of mathematics.
His best known work is contained in the eight volumes of Conics. Volumes I–IV survive in the original Greek, and volumes I–VII, like many other Greek intellectual works, survive in medieval Arabic translation. Volume VIII is lost but is known from references made to it by later Greek scholars.
Conics addressed the four types of curves that result when a solid cone is cut into sections by a plane: the circle, the ellipse, the hyperbola, and the parabola. Apollonius discovered and named the latter two curves. In Conics, he gives a thorough treatment of the theory of these curves and related matters, developing a total of 387 propositions.
Apollonius also demonstrated applications of the geometry of conic sections and curves to various mathematical problems. His work led to the separation of geometry into the two divisions of solid geometry and plane geometry.
In addition to Conics, Apollonius wrote at least eleven books, some in more than one volume. Of these, only one—Cutting Off a Ratio (also known as On Proportional Section)—survives in an Arabic translation. The others are known only by mention or discussion by other Greek mathematicians and authors.
In addition to his work in pure mathematics, Apollonius analyzed the properties of light and its reflection by curved mirrors, and he invented a sundial based on a conic section. Of particular importance was his application of geometry to astronomy. His use of elliptical orbits with eccentric and epicylic motion to explain the complex movement of planets, including their retrograde motion, was accepted until the time of Copernicus (1473–1543).
The work of Apollonius had an extensive effect on the subsequent development of mathematics and is still relevant today. Later mathematicians influenced by Apollonius's work include René Descartes (1596–1650) in the development of Cartesian mathematical science; Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) in his proposal of elliptical orbits for the planets; and Isaac Newton (1642–1727), who used conic sections in understanding the force of gravity.
Conic Sections; Descartes and His Coordinate System; Euclid and His Contributions; Newton, Sir Isaac.
Bibliography
Mansfield, Jaap. Proegomena Mathematica: From Apollonius of Perga to Late Neoplatonism. Boston: Brill Academic Publishers, Inc., 1998.
Internet Resources
O'Connor, J. J., and E. F. Robertson. "Apollonius of Perga." School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland. January 1999. <http://wwwhistory.mcs.st-andrew s.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Apollon ius.html>.
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