If 1+1=2 Then the Pythagorean Theorem Holds, Or One More Proof of the Oldest Theorem of Mathematics
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A Genetic Context for Understanding the Trigonometric Functions Danny Otero Xavier University, [email protected]
Ursinus College Digital Commons @ Ursinus College Transforming Instruction in Undergraduate Pre-calculus and Trigonometry Mathematics via Primary Historical Sources (TRIUMPHS) Spring 3-2017 A Genetic Context for Understanding the Trigonometric Functions Danny Otero Xavier University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/triumphs_precalc Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Higher Education Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits oy u. Recommended Citation Otero, Danny, "A Genetic Context for Understanding the Trigonometric Functions" (2017). Pre-calculus and Trigonometry. 1. https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/triumphs_precalc/1 This Course Materials is brought to you for free and open access by the Transforming Instruction in Undergraduate Mathematics via Primary Historical Sources (TRIUMPHS) at Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pre-calculus and Trigonometry by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Genetic Context for Understanding the Trigonometric Functions Daniel E. Otero∗ July 22, 2019 Trigonometry is concerned with the measurements of angles about a central point (or of arcs of circles centered at that point) and quantities, geometrical and otherwise, that depend on the sizes of such angles (or the lengths of the corresponding arcs). It is one of those subjects that has become a standard part of the toolbox of every scientist and applied mathematician. It is the goal of this project to impart to students some of the story of where and how its central ideas first emerged, in an attempt to provide context for a modern study of this mathematical theory. -
9 · the Growth of an Empirical Cartography in Hellenistic Greece
9 · The Growth of an Empirical Cartography in Hellenistic Greece PREPARED BY THE EDITORS FROM MATERIALS SUPPLIED BY GERMAINE AUJAe There is no complete break between the development of That such a change should occur is due both to po cartography in classical and in Hellenistic Greece. In litical and military factors and to cultural developments contrast to many periods in the ancient and medieval within Greek society as a whole. With respect to the world, we are able to reconstruct throughout the Greek latter, we can see how Greek cartography started to be period-and indeed into the Roman-a continuum in influenced by a new infrastructure for learning that had cartographic thought and practice. Certainly the a profound effect on the growth of formalized know achievements of the third century B.C. in Alexandria had ledge in general. Of particular importance for the history been prepared for and made possible by the scientific of the map was the growth of Alexandria as a major progress of the fourth century. Eudoxus, as we have seen, center of learning, far surpassing in this respect the had already formulated the geocentric hypothesis in Macedonian court at Pella. It was at Alexandria that mathematical models; and he had also translated his Euclid's famous school of geometry flourished in the concepts into celestial globes that may be regarded as reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.). And it anticipating the sphairopoiia. 1 By the beginning of the was at Alexandria that this Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy I Hellenistic period there had been developed not only the Soter, a companion of Alexander, had founded the li various celestial globes, but also systems of concentric brary, soon to become famous throughout the Mediter spheres, together with maps of the inhabited world that ranean world. -
Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans1
Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans1 Historically, the name Pythagoras meansmuchmorethanthe familiar namesake of the famous theorem about right triangles. The philosophy of Pythagoras and his school has become a part of the very fiber of mathematics, physics, and even the western tradition of liberal education, no matter what the discipline. The stamp above depicts a coin issued by Greece on August 20, 1955, to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the first school of philosophy by Pythagoras. Pythagorean philosophy was the prime source of inspiration for Plato and Aristotle whose influence on western thought is without question and is immeasurable. 1 c G. Donald Allen, 1999 ° Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans 2 1 Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans Of his life, little is known. Pythagoras (fl 580-500, BC) was born in Samos on the western coast of what is now Turkey. He was reportedly the son of a substantial citizen, Mnesarchos. He met Thales, likely as a young man, who recommended he travel to Egypt. It seems certain that he gained much of his knowledge from the Egyptians, as had Thales before him. He had a reputation of having a wide range of knowledge over many subjects, though to one author as having little wisdom (Her- aclitus) and to another as profoundly wise (Empedocles). Like Thales, there are no extant written works by Pythagoras or the Pythagoreans. Our knowledge about the Pythagoreans comes from others, including Aristotle, Theon of Smyrna, Plato, Herodotus, Philolaus of Tarentum, and others. Samos Miletus Cnidus Pythagoras lived on Samos for many years under the rule of the tyrant Polycrates, who had a tendency to switch alliances in times of conflict — which were frequent. -
|||GET||| Geometry Theorems and Constructions 1St Edition
GEOMETRY THEOREMS AND CONSTRUCTIONS 1ST EDITION DOWNLOAD FREE Allan Berele | 9780130871213 | | | | | Geometry: Theorems and Constructions For readers pursuing a career in mathematics. Angle bisector theorem Exterior angle theorem Euclidean algorithm Euclid's theorem Geometric mean theorem Greek geometric algebra Hinge theorem Inscribed Geometry Theorems and Constructions 1st edition theorem Intercept theorem Pons asinorum Pythagorean theorem Thales's theorem Theorem of the gnomon. Then the 'construction' or 'machinery' follows. For example, propositions I. The Triangulation Lemma. Pythagoras c. More than editions of the Elements are known. Euclidean geometryelementary number theoryincommensurable lines. The Mathematical Intelligencer. A History of Mathematics Second ed. The success of the Elements is due primarily to its logical presentation of most of the mathematical knowledge available to Euclid. Arcs and Angles. Applies and reinforces the ideas in the geometric theory. Scholars believe that the Elements is largely a compilation of propositions based on books by earlier Greek mathematicians. Enscribed Circles. Return for free! Description College Geometry offers readers a deep understanding of the basic results in plane geometry and how they are used. The books cover plane and solid Euclidean geometryelementary number theoryand incommensurable lines. Cyrene Library of Alexandria Platonic Academy. You can find lots of answers to common customer questions in our FAQs View a detailed breakdown of our shipping prices Learn about our return policy Still need help? View a detailed breakdown of our shipping prices. Then, the 'proof' itself follows. Distance between Parallel Lines. By careful analysis of the translations and originals, hypotheses have been made about the contents of the original text copies of which are no longer available. -
Hipparchus's Table of Chords
ApPENDIX 1 Hipparchus's Table of Chords The construction of this table is based on the facts that the chords of 60° and 90° are known, that starting from chd 8 we can calculate chd(180° - 8) as shown by Figure Al.1, and that from chd S we can calculate chd ~8. The calculation of chd is goes as follows; see Figure Al.2. Let the angle AOB be 8. Place F so that CF = CB, place D so that DOA = i8, and place E so that DE is perpendicular to AC. Then ACD = iAOD = iBOD = DCB making the triangles BCD and DCF congruent. Therefore DF = BD = DA, and so EA = iAF. But CF = CB = chd(180° - 8), so we can calculate CF, which gives us AF and EA. Triangles AED and ADC are similar; therefore ADIAE = ACIDA, which implies that AD2 = AE·AC and enables us to calculate AD. AD is chd i8. We can now find the chords of 30°, 15°, 7~0, 45°, and 22~0. This gives us the chords of 150°, 165°, etc., and eventually we have the chords of all R P chord 8 = PQ, C chord (180 - 8) = QR, QR2 = PR2 _ PQ2. FIGURE A1.l. 235 236 Appendix 1. Hipparchus's Table of Chords Ci"=:...-----""----...........~A FIGURE A1.2. multiples of 71°. The table starts: 2210 10 8 2 30° 45° 522 chd 8 1,341 1,779 2,631 3,041 We find the chords of angles not listed and angles whose chords are not listed by linear interpolation. For example, the angle whose chord is 2,852 is ( 2,852 - 2,631 1)0 . -
The Sector Theorem Attributed to Menelaus
SCIAMVS 7 (2006), 43–79 The Sector Theorem Attributed to Menelaus Nathan Sidoli Department of Mathematics Simon Fraser University The Sector Theorem is now generally known as the Menelaus Theorem. At first glance, it appears to be one of the few pieces of mathematics that we find both in Ptolemy and his sources. Unfortunately, the textual transmission of the theorem turns out to be quite involved and it has now become clear that we do not possess any version of it that can simply be taken as that which Menelaus wrote. Neverthe- less, it is possible, by examining the textual dependencies of the theorem as it was transmitted by the Arabic mathematicians, to discern basic types of the theorem and to decide which one of these should be attributed to Menelaus. This exercise allows us to discuss the relationship between Menelaus’ and Ptolemy’s treatment of the theorem, and to situate their differing approaches to this particular proposition within the broader context of their mathematical and scientific aims. The tendency of Greek mathematical authors to differentiate their texts by subject areas allows us to see that the theorem was intended for quite different purposes by Menelaus and Ptolemy. The opinion put forward by Neugebauer [1975, 301] favors Menelaus as the author of the eponymous theorem.1 Although some historians are not convinced by this position, no one since has cogently argued against it. An examination of Menelaus’ version of the sector theorem and its function in his Spherics, however, shows that it is unlikely that he intended the sector theorem to be read as his original contri- 1Before Neugebauer published A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy, it was common to hear doubts expressed as to Menelaus’ authorship of the theorem. -
Navigating with the Kamal M
AstroEDU manuscript no. astroedu1647 c AstroEDU 2017 October 13, 2017 Navigating with the Kamal M. Nielbock Haus der Astronomie, Campus MPIA, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany e-mail: [email protected] Received July 14, 2016; accepted ABSTRACT The students build and use an old navigational tool from the Arab world of the 9th century, the kamal. After an introduction to historic seafaring and navigation, they build this simple tool and understand how it can be used to measure angles. After learning that the elevation of Polaris is (almost) identical to the latitude of the observer, they apply this knowledge while using the kamal. During a field trip, they actually measure the elevation of Polaris. The result is compared with modern methods. Key words. Earth, navigation, countries, astronomy, history, geography, stars, Polaris, North Star, equator, latitude, longitude, meridian, pole height, celestial navigation, Arabia, kamal 1. Background information Example: Heidelberg in Germany is located at 49◦:4 North and 8◦:7 East. 1.1. Latitude and longitude Any location on an area is defined by two coordinates. The sur- 1.2. Elevation of the pole (pole height) face of a sphere is a curved area, but using coordinates like up and down does not make much sense, because the surface of a If we project the terrestrial coordinate system of latitudes and sphere has neither a beginning nor an ending. Instead, we can longitudes at the sky, we get the celestial equatorial coordinate use spherical polar coordinates originating from the centre of the system. The Earth’s equator becomes the celestial equator and sphere with the radius being fixed (Fig.1). -
Four Lost Episodes in Ancient Solar Theory
Four Lost Episodes in Ancient Solar Theory Dennis Duke, Florida State University The most widely known solar theory from antiquity is that of Hipparchus. All ancient sources are agreed that Hipparchus’ model was a simple eccentric or an equivalent epicycle. The eccentric version of the model is shown in Figure 1. The Earth E is displaced a distance e from the center Z of the deferent. The purpose of the displacement is to allow the Sun at S to appear to move alternately slower and faster when seen from the Earth, even though it is at all times moving uniformly around the deferent as seen from the deferent center Z. Assuming a year length of 365¼ days and adjusting e and the direction of EZ with respect to the stars, one can account for the lengths of the seasons, which Hipparchus took as 94½ days for spring and 92½ days for summer, and it also follows that there are 88⅛ days in autumn and 90⅛ days in winter. Figure 1 Geminus, writing about 50 B.C. and without explicit attribution to Hipparchus, gives the season lengths and describes how the varying speed of the Sun results from an eccentric deferent.1 Theon of Smyrna, writing about A.D. 120 and following a presentation by Adrastus of Aphrodisias, 1) discusses the equivalence of eccentric and epicycle versions of the model; 2) gives the season lengths that are the empirical input data for the model; 3) gives a detailed diagram that is the basis for a geometrical derivation of the model parameters; 4) indicates the strategy of the geometrical solution; and 5) quotes the results: e/R = 1/24 and the direction of apogee is at Gemini 5½°.2 In a later passage about models structures in general, Theon does mention that Hipparchus remarked that the equivalence of the eccentric and epicycle models was worthy of attention, and that Hipparchus preferred the epicycle version. -
Claudius Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy Saving the Heavens Math 1700 - Ptolemy 1 Euclid’s Elements at work • Euclid’s Elements quickly became the standard text for teaching mathematics at the Museum at Alexandria. • Philosophical questions about the world could now be attacked with exact mathematical reasoning. Math 1700 - Ptolemy 2 Eratosthenes of Cyrene • 276 - 194 BCE • Born in Cyrene, in North Africa (now in Lybia). • Studied at Plato’s Academy. • Appointed Librarian at the Museum in Alexandria. Math 1700 - Ptolemy 3 1 “Beta” • Eratosthenes was prolific. He worked in many fields. He was a: – Poet – Historian – Mathematician – Astronomer – Geographer • He was nicknamed “Beta.” – Not the best at anything, but the second best at many things. Math 1700 - Ptolemy 4 Eratosthenes’ Map • He coined the word “geography” and drew one of the first maps of the world (above). Math 1700 - Ptolemy 5 Using Euclid • Eratosthenes made very clever use of a few scant observations, plus a theorem from Euclid to decide one of the great unanswered questions about the world. Math 1700 - Ptolemy 6 2 His data • Eratosthenes had heard that in the town of Syene (now Aswan) in the south of Egypt, at noon on the summer solstice (June 21 for us) the sun was directly overhead. – I.e. A perfectly upright pole (a gnomon) cast no shadow. – Or, one could look directly down in a well and see one’s reflection. Math 1700 - Ptolemy 7 His data, 2 • Based on reports from a heavily travelled trade route, Eratosthenes calculated that Alexandria was 5000 stadia north of Syene. Math 1700 - Ptolemy 8 His data, 3 • Eratosthenes then measured the angle formed by the sun’s rays and the upright pole (gnomon) at noon at the solstice in Alexandria. -
The Sector Theorem Attributed to Menelaus
SCIAMVS 7 (2006), 43–79 The Sector Theorem Attributed to Menelaus Nathan Sidoli Department of Mathematics Simon Fraser University The Sector Theorem is now generally known as the Menelaus Theorem. At first glance, it appears to be one of the few pieces of mathematics that we find both in Ptolemy and his sources. Unfortunately, the textual transmission of the theorem turns out to be quite involved and it has now become clear that we do not possess any version of it that can simply be taken as that which Menelaus wrote. Neverthe- less, it is possible, by examining the textual dependencies of the theorem as it was transmitted by the Arabic mathematicians, to discern basic types of the theorem and to decide which one of these should be attributed to Menelaus. This exercise allows us to discuss the relationship between Menelaus’ and Ptolemy’s treatment of the theorem, and to situate their differing approaches to this particular proposition within the broader context of their mathematical and scientific aims. The tendency of Greek mathematical authors to differentiate their texts by subject areas allows us to see that the theorem was intended for quite different purposes by Menelaus and Ptolemy. The opinion put forward by Neugebauer [1975, 301] favors Menelaus as the author of the eponymous theorem.1 Although some historians are not convinced by this position, no one since has cogently argued against it. An examination of Menelaus’ version of the sector theorem and its function in his Spherics, however, shows that it is unlikely that he intended the sector theorem to be read as his original contri- 1Before Neugebauer published A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy, it was common to hear doubts expressed as to Menelaus’ authorship of the theorem. -
Isidore of Miletus and Hypatia: on the Editing of Mathematical Texts , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 31:1 (1990:Spring) P.103
CAMERON, ALAN, Isidore of Miletus and Hypatia: On the Editing of Mathematical Texts , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 31:1 (1990:Spring) p.103 Isidore of Miletus and Hypatia: On the Editing of Mathematical Texts Alan Cameron Geoffrey de Ste. Croix octogenario ARLY IN THE SIXTH CENTURY Eutocius of Ascalon produced Ecommentaries on various works of Archimedes. The best witness to the text, Laurentianus 28.4, offers the following explicit to his commentary on Book I of De sphaera et cylindro: 1 EtytOKlO\) 'AcncaAroVl-cO\) \mOIlVTllla Ei~ 'to xp&tov 'troY 'ApX\.Il"OO\)~ XEpt o<palpa~ Kat K'UAlVOPO\), EKOOOE~ xapavayvrooeeiOl1~ 'tip M \. A110lCP IlTlXav\.Kip 'Io\.oropcp ilIlE'tEPCP o\.oaoKaAcp. The explicit to the commentary on Book II is identical except for the numeral. And the explicit to his commentary on Ar chimedes' In dimensionem circuli is identical again except for the title of the work commented. "Isidore the Engineer" is the celebrated architect Isidore of Miletus who, jointly with An themius of Tralles, was charged with the design of the new S. Sophia by Justinian in 532. The question is: what role did he play in Eutocius' commentaries on Archimedes? According to the first thoughts of J. L. Heiberg, the distin guished editor of so many mathematical texts, Isidore edited the text of Archimedes on which Eutocius' commentary was based.2 But in 1884 P. Tannery offered a different inter pretation.3 First, he argued that the evidence of the explicits did not square with Eutocius' other references to contemporaries. The commentary on De sphaera et cylindro is dedicated t F in Heiberg's first edition of 1888, A in his second of 1915 (Archimedis opera omnia cum commentariis Eutocii lIP [Leipzig 1915] 48.26; cf 224.7, 260.10). -
The Mathematics of the Astrolabe and Its History
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics Volume 10 Issue 1 Volume 10 Issue 1 (January 2020) Article 7 January 2020 The Mathematics of the Astrolabe and Its History Graziano Gentili Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica “U. Dini”, Università di Firenze viale Morgagni, 67/A, 50134 Firenze, Italy Luisa Simonutti Istituto per la storia del pensiero filosofico e scientifico moderno C.N.R.ea Ar 3 - Bicocca Milano, via Cozzi, 53, 20125 Milano, Italy Daniele C. Struppa Schmid College of Science & Technology, Chapman University One University Drive, Orange, CA 92866, USA Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Mathematics Commons Recommended Citation Gentili, G. Simonutti, L. and Struppa, D. C. "The Mathematics of the Astrolabe and Its History," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 10 Issue 1 (January 2020), pages 101-144. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol10/iss1/7 ©2020 by the authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. JHM is an open access bi-annual journal sponsored by the Claremont Center for the Mathematical Sciences and published by the Claremont Colleges Library | ISSN 2159-8118 | http://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/ The editorial staff of JHM works hard to make sure the scholarship disseminated in JHM is accurate and upholds professional ethical guidelines. However the views and opinions expressed in each published manuscript belong exclusively to the individual contributor(s). The publisher and the editors do not endorse or accept responsibility for them. See https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/policies.html for more information. The Mathematics of the Astrolabe and Its History Cover Page Footnote The first author acknowledges the support of Chapman University, as well as G.N.S.A.G.A, and FIRB.