fl. 1000s

Flemish mathematician best known for his attempt to solve the problem of the quadrature of the circle (constructing a square with the same area as a given circle). Though the "squaring of a circle" is now known to be impossible, many had vainly attempted to solve the problem. In his De quadratura circuli (c. 1050), Franco recounted his efforts, which involved cutting-up a parchment circle and pasting the pieces together to form a square.