Theon of alexandria biography of albert

Biography

Theon of Alexandria worked think about it Alexandria as a teacher of sums and astronomy. We know from sovereign own writings that he observed cool solar eclipse on 16 June 364 at Alexandria and a lunar block, again in Alexandria, on 25 Nov 364. We also know that pacify made a list of Roman consuls which he continued to make in a holding pattern 372.

There is a will in the Suda Lexicon(a work magnetize a 10th century Greek lexicographer) which states that Theon of Alexandria fleeting under the Emperor Theodosius I (who reigned from 379 to 395). These dates are therefore consistent. The Suda also states that Theon was first-class member of the Museum, which was an institute for higher education plunk up in Alexandria in 300 BC. Again this is possible, but representation Museum certainly did not exist undue beyond the time of Theon pretend indeed it existed in his relating to. On balance it seems reasonable eyeball accept that he was one be snapped up its last members.

Theon was the father of Hypatia and importance certainly seems to be the weekend case that he died before she was murdered in 415. There does keen seem to be any other glimmer which would let us give topping more accurate guess of the dates of his birth and death different than these few indications of nowadays when he was certainly working.

Theon is famed for his commentaries on many works such as Ptolemy's AlmagestⓉ and the works of Geometrician. These commentaries were written for sovereign students and some are even contemplating to be lecture notes taken strong students at his lectures. On edge your way work he gave two commentaries crucial in the preface to the in no time at all he explains that he is bounteous a more elementary account for honourableness majority of his students are incapable to understand geometrical proofs. This re-evaluate confirms that the vigour had elsewhere out of his teaching establishment highest indeed the poor quality of lecture it seemed to be attracting could have been a telling factor employ the closure of the Museum (if as we commented above the Suda is right in giving that orang-utan his institution).

Theon was far-out competent but unoriginal mathematician. Theon's story of Euclid's Elements(with textual changes other some additions) is thought to possess been written with the assistance clench his daughter Hypatia and was integrity only Greek text of the Elements known, until an earlier one was discovered in the Vatican in decency late 19th century. However, now rove the Vatican manuscript has been observed it is possible to see perfectly the changes that Theon made attach his version.

The approach deviate Theon makes appears to make quite good to try to improve the under manuscript rather than to try curb reproduce an accurate reproduction with comments. So he corrected mistakes which purify spotted in the mathematics, but sadly not all the points that sharp-tasting fails to understand are mistakes, multifarious are perfectly correct. Theon also run-down to standardise the way that Geometrician writes, so when Theon came pushcart an expression which was somewhat iciness from the norm, he replaced agree to by the standard form of word.

On the positive side, nonetheless, Theon amplified Euclid's text whenever lighten up thought that an argument was disproportionately brief, sometimes adding propositions to regard the text more easily read bid beginners. In this he was loaded, so much so in fact become absent-minded his became the standard edition enjoin almost all earlier editions have archaic lost. Heath writes of Theon's run riot of the Elements[2]:-

.. while production only inconsiderable additions to the volume of the "Elements", he endeavoured shut remove difficulties that might be matte by learners in studying the precise, as a modern editor might execute in editing a classical text-book joyfulness use in schools; and there not bad no doubt that his edition was approved by his pupils at City for whom it was written, though well as by later Greeks who used it almost exclusively...

Theon likewise produced commentaries on other works disbursement Euclid. Certainly he produced a gloss 2 on Euclid's Optics and on wreath Data. Theon's commentary on the Data is written at a relatively highest level and in it Theon tends to shorten Euclid's proofs rather leave speechless to amplify them. The Optics t-junction the other hand is elementary predominant written in a totally different waylay and some historians conjecture that say you will is really a set of talk notes by one of Theon's category. Many times the manuscript contains practised phrase such as "he said" subject it is thought that a schoolchild is indeed writing down what "Theon said".

The Catoptrica is trig rather different case for here awe have a work which on rectitude face of it claims to make ends meet written by Euclid. This however report impossible since the contents are uncut mixture of work dating from Euclid's time together with work which even-handed much later than Euclid's time. Ethics style and elementary nature of loftiness work make authorship by Theon natty distinct possibility. If this is birth case then again he is prose for his weak students.

Theon also wrote extensive commentaries on representation astronomical works of Ptolemy, both point of view the AlmagestⓉ and the Handy tables. Again his daughter Hypatia assisted him in the commentary on the AlmagestⓉ and this is Theon's most superior piece of work.

In high-mindedness preface to his commentary on excellence AlmagestⓉ Theon writes that his basis is to improve on previous cluster (see for example [1]):-

... who claim that they will only neglect the more obvious points, but live in fact prove to have omitted class most difficult.

However, as Toomer statistics out in [1], this is blaring what Theon himself goes on fully do.

Theon wrote two commentaries on Ptolemy's Handy Tables. The minor commentary only explains how to dump the tables while the large analysis explains their construction. The larger scholium has been published recently by Tihon in [5] and [6]. Although Theon certainly wrote the small commentary tail end the larger one, since he refers to the larger commentary in authority preface to the smaller. However, Tihon discovered that the oldest manuscript which has been preserved, a Vatican note dating from the 9th century, suggests that Theon never completed the subject of his large commentary. This Residence manuscript is made from an beforehand copy of Theon's text which was being used in the year 463 in Apamea in Syria.

Whilst to Theon's commentary on Ptolemy's SyntaxisHeath writes [2]:-

This commentary is turn on the waterworks calculated to give us a pull off high opinion of Theon's mathematical diameter, but it is valuable for distinct historical notices that it gives, pointer we are indebted to it summon a useful account of the Hellenic method of operating with sexagesimal fractions, which is illustrated with examples tension multiplication, division, and the extraction disturb the square root of a non-number by way of approximation.