170AD portraitfrom Fayum,an ideaof whatHypatia might havelooked like http://en.wikipedia. org/wikiiHypatia-o{-Alexandria

Hypatia By: YelanaZhebrak Hypatia

By: YelanaZhebrak

As oneof the first womenin mathematicsthat we haveconsiderable knowledge about;Hypatia's story reveals a womanof immensemathematical knowledge and atragic death. Somehave said that her life storywas one of a GreekTragedy.

Hypatiawas born around370AD. Thereis little knowledgeabout Hypatia's mother,but it is assumedthat her family situationmust have been a fortunateone for her fatherwas a determinedman, who wasdedicated to perfecthis daughter.This is the only evidenceof her "fortunate"family which couldbe debatable.Hypatia never married nor hadany children. Shewas alsoknown to tum awaymany suitors.

Hypatia'sfather, Theon was a distinguishedprofessor of mathematicsat the

Universityof Alexandria. He laterbecame the directorof the University,where Hypatia l'oHypatia spenta lot of her time at. wasimmersed in an atmosphereof leaming, questioningand exploration." Hypatiaquickly becamethe numberone student in her father'slife. Shereceived intense formal training in arts,literature, science, and philosophy.2"Theon was his daughter'stutor, teacher, and play mate;his own strong love of beautyand logic of mathematicswas contagious." Not only wasHypatia expectedto keepa healthy brilliant mind, her fatherexpected her to keepup a healthy bodyand Hypatia was well trainedin gentlecalisthenics that shepracticed regularly; she wasalso taught to row, swim, ride horsebackoand climb mountains,and a part of each

rOsen,Lynn M. Womenin Mathematics.l974,Page23 2Osen, Lynn M. Womenin Mathematics.l974,Page23 daywas set aside for suchexercise. In time Hypatia'sknowledge would eclipseher 3Her father's. fatherstressed in his trainingthe importanceof becominga sensitive, gifted,and eloquent teacher.

Duringthis time period,mathematics was used mainly for calculatingproblems o"the suchas locusof a given soulborn under a certainplanet." It wasthought that there could be a prediction basedon mathematicswhere there could be a determination preciselywhere such a soul would be on futuredates. Astronomy and astrology were consideredto be a bondbetween science and religion. Hypatiabecame a popularteacher ssocrates, with the assistanceof her father'seducation. the historianwrote that her home,as well asher classroom wasvisited by the mostgifted scholarsfrom all around the world. Shewas considered an oracleof her time.

Howeverit wasHypatia's work alongwith her father'sassistance that made her 6Hypatia truly an icon in mathematics. wrote on the Conicsof Apollonfur, a book about the work of aprominentAlexandrian who lived five hundredyears before. Hypatiaalso wrotecommentaries on the Almagest,the astronomicalcanon of Ptolemy'sthat contained his numerousobservations of the stars.Hypatia coauthored (with her father)at leastone treatiseion Euclid andmost of theseworks were prepared as textbooks for her students.

Hypatia'scommentaries on the work of Diophantusdid not survivethe manyhundreds of yearsbetween the time of its writing andthe present.It is howeveragreed that Hypatia o'the did write suchwork. Diophantushas been called fatherof algebra". He wasan

Alexandrianmathematician. Diophantine algebra dealt with first-degreeand quadratic

3Osen, Lynn M. Womenin Mathematics.l974,Page24'25 o Osen,Lynn M. Womenin Mathematics.l974,Page24 5Osen, Lynn M. Womenin Mathematics.l974,Page26 6 Teri Perl,Math Equals.l978,Page27 equations;the commentaryby Hypatiaincluded some altemative solutions and number of THer newproblems that sheoriginated. reputablecontributions also included her inventionof the hydrometerwhich is an instrumentused to measurespecific gravity (or relativedensity) of liquids that is the ratio of the densityof the liquid to the densityof water. Most of the treatiesthat Hypatia wrote were destroyedalong with the Ptolemaic librariesin Alexandria. A portionof her originaltreatise On theAstronomical Canon of

Diaphantuswas fotrnd. 8We also see Hypatia's father mentioned in historymore than

Hypatiadue to Theon'swork surviving,whereas Hypatia's did not.

esomebelieve that Hypatia(a pagan)was caught in the midst of a battlebetween scienceand religion. Somebelieve that it washer way of commandingrespect and in somecircles, provoking controversy that causedher demise.It is believedthat a nrmor was spreadamong the Christians,that the only thing that stoodin the way of a reconciliationof the perfectand archbishop, was "Theon's daughter", which shewas speedilyremoved. Hypatia was on her way to classwhen she was attacked by a troopof savagesand mercilessfanatics. Shewas strippeddown nakedand draggedthrough the streetby carriage.Her fleshwas then scraped offwith oystershells, and then she was set on fire. Her attackerswere never brought to justice,and the only thing that wasleft of

Hypatiawas her legacy.

All in all, Hypatiawas another brilliant mind,which wasfeared and finally executed.However her legacyand work havebeen proven to be a greatcontribution for mathematics,and an inspirationto women.

7(Encyclopedia Britannica) ht@:// www.britannica.com/eblarticle-9041785 8Maria Dzielska, Hypatia of Alexandria.1995,Page7l 'Maria Dzielska,Hwatia of Alexandria.1995, Page 6l Bibliography

-MariaDzielska, Hvpatia of Alexandria.1995

-(EncyclopediaBritannica) http:// www.britannica.com/eb/article-9041785 (March 27,2008)

-Osen,Lynn M. Women in Mathematics.lg74 -TeriPerl, Math Equals. 1978

- Kingsley,Charles, Hypatia.,Chicaso: E.A. Weeks & Co. -http:/

-nttp:ltwome nn isto rV. a

Note: All information that hasbeen obtained over the interenthas been confirmed accurateinformation tlrat I haveobtained from text books.