Euclid

EUCLID: The Man Who Created a Math Class

Euclid of Alexandria was born in about 325 BC. He is the most prominent mathematician of antiquity best known for his dissertation on mathematics. He was able to create "The Elements" which included the composition of many other famous mathematicians together. He began exploring math because he felt that he needed to compile certain things and fix certain postulates and theorems. His book included, many of Eudoxus' theorems, he perfected many of Theaetetus's theorems also. Much of Euclid's background is very vague and unknown. It is unreliable to say whether some things about him are true, there are two types of extra information stated that scientists do not know whether they are true or not. The first one is that given by Arabian authors who state that Euclid was the son of Naucrates and that he was born in Tyre. This is believed by historians of mathematics that this is entirely fictitious and was merely invented by the authors. The next type of information is that Euclid was born at Megara. But this is not the same Euclid that authors thought. In fact, there was a Euclid of Megara, who was a philosopher who lived approximately 100 years before Euclid of Alexandria.

Euclid was the leader of a team of mathematicians working at Alexandria. They all contributed to writing the 'complete works of Euclid', even continuing to write books under Euclid's name after his death. He was not an historical character. A team of mathematicians at Alexandria who took the name Euclid from the historical character Euclid of Megara who had lived about 100 years earlier wrote the Ð''complete works of Euclid'. There is a thought that he was able to build up a school in Alexandria that was very vigorous and unique in its own way.

Euclid's most famous work is his dissertation on mathematics The Elements. The book was a compilation of knowledge that became the center of mathematical teaching for 2000 years. Probably Euclid first proved no results in The Elements but the organization of the material and its exposition are certainly due to him. In fact there is ample evidence that Euclid is using earlier textbooks as he writes the Elements since he introduces quite a number of definitions, which are never used such as that of an oblong, a rhombus, and a rhomboid. This book first began the book by giving the definition of five postulates. The first three are based upon constructions. For example, the first one is that a straight line can be drawn between two points. These three postulates also describe lines, circles, and the existence of points and the possible existence of other geometric objects. The fourth and fifth postulates are written in a different nature. Postulate four states that all right angles are equal. The fifth one is very famous. It is also can be referred to as the parallel, the fifth parallel. It states that one and only one line can be drawn through a point parallel to a given line. His decision to create this postulate enabled him to create what is now called, Euclidean

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