Mathematician:Pappus of Alexandria

Mathematician
One of the last great Greek mathematicians of antiquity.

Very little is known about him, except that he flourished at around 320 CE through dint of the eclipse of the sun in Alexandria in that year which he discussed in his commentary on 's Almagest.

Noted for his multi-volume Collection, and for Pappus's Hexagon Theorem.

Nationality
Greek

History

 * Born: c. 290 CE, Alexandria, Egypt
 * Died: c. 350 CE

Theorems and Definitions

 * Pappus's Hexagon Theorem
 * Pappus's Centroid Theorem


 * Pappus Chain
 * Pappus Configuration
 * Pappus Graph

Books and Papers

 * c. 320: Commentary on 's Almagest.


 * c. 340: Synagoge ("Collection", also known as "Mathematical Collection"), a work in eight parts:
 * Book I is lost.
 * Book II (the first part of which is lost) concerned the multiplication system of.
 * Book III contains geometrical problems.
 * Book IV contains deep theorems concerning circles and other more complicated curved geometrical figures.
 * Book V contains solid geometry, taking as its starting point the five Platonic solids.
 * Book VI resolves difficulties in various "lesser astronomical works" (i.e. others than 's Almagest), including 's Optics and Phaenomena.
 * Book VII discusses books by various authors:, , and.
 * Book VIII is mainly mechanics, but there are some theorems of pure geometry as well.


 * A commentary on.

There are also various other works, now lost, which are mentioned elsewhere in the literature of the time.