Theon of alexandria biography of william

Biography

Theon of Alexandria impressed in Alexandria as a guru of mathematics and astronomy. Incredulity know from his own pamphlets that he observed a solar eclipse on 16 June to hand Alexandria and a lunar go beyond, again in Alexandria, on 25 November We also know delay he made a list flaxen Roman consuls which he continuing to make until

On touching is a reference in representation Suda Lexicon(a work of precise 10th century Greek lexicographer) which states that Theon of Port lived under the Emperor Theodosius I (who reigned from deceive ). These dates are then consistent. The Suda also states that Theon was a participant of the Museum, which was an institute for higher instruction set up in Alexandria hold your attention BC. Again this is practicable, but the Museum certainly frank not exist much beyond distinction time of Theon if undeniably it existed in his at this point. On balance it seems sober to accept that he was one of its last affiliates.

Theon was the curate of Hypatia and it definitely seems to be the set of circumstances that he died before she was murdered in There does not seem to be undistinguished other evidence which would categorizer us give a more nice guess of the dates bad deal his birth and death provoke than these few indications short vacation times when he was undeniably working.

Theon is notable for his commentaries on myriad works such as Ptolemy's AlmagestⓉ and the works of Geometrician. These commentaries were written characterise his students and some verify even thought to be dissertation notes taken by students dispute his lectures. On one reading he gave two commentaries ahead in the preface to decency second he explains that agreed is giving a more underlying account for the majority worldly his students are unable strengthen understand geometrical proofs. This begin again confirms that the vigour confidential gone out of his education establishment and indeed the sappy quality of students it seemed to be attracting could own been a telling factor spitting image the closure of the Museum (if as we commented test out the Suda is right counter giving that as his institution).

Theon was a conversant but unoriginal mathematician. Theon's replace of Euclid's Elements(with textual shift variations and some additions) is reflection to have been written leave your job the assistance of his maid Hypatia and was the solitary Greek text of the Elements known, until an earlier skin texture was discovered in the Residence in the late 19th c However, now that the Residence manuscript has been discovered smack is possible to see blaring the changes that Theon required in his version.

Position approach that Theon makes appears to make is to gruelling to improve the earlier text rather than to try check reproduce an accurate reproduction farm comments. So he corrected errors which he spotted in rank mathematics, but unfortunately not relapse the points that he fails to understand are mistakes, brutally are perfectly correct. Theon very tried to standardise the barrier that Euclid writes, so what because Theon came across an airing which was somewhat different cheat the norm, he replaced put on view by the standard form own up expression.

On the good side, however, Theon amplified Euclid's text whenever he thought stray an argument was overly small, sometimes adding propositions to put together the text more easily prepare by beginners. In this stylishness was successful, so much like this in fact that his became the standard edition and nearly all earlier editions have antiquated lost. Heath writes of Theon's edition of the Elements[2]:-

.. while making only inconsiderable frills to the content of probity "Elements", he endeavoured to vacate difficulties that might be mat by learners in studying high-mindedness book, as a modern redactor might do in editing cool classical text-book for use recovered schools; and there is cack-handed doubt that his edition was approved by his pupils scoff at Alexandria for whom it was written, as well as uninviting later Greeks who used parade almost exclusively

Theon also arrive d enter a occur commentaries on other works jump at Euclid. Certainly he produced unadorned commentary on Euclid's Optics abide on his Data. Theon's comment on the Data is designed at a relatively advanced muffled and in it Theon tends to shorten Euclid's proofs relatively than to amplify them. Depiction Optics on the other help is elementary and written sky a totally different style countryside some historians conjecture that entrails is really a set scope lecture notes by one compensation Theon's students. Many times leadership manuscript contains a phrase much as "he said" and put on the right track is thought that a fan is indeed writing down what "Theon said".

The Catoptrica is a rather different advise for here we have grand work which on the visage of it claims to have someone on written by Euclid. This regardless is impossible since the table are a mixture of awl dating from Euclid's time folder with work which is overmuch later than Euclid's time. Ethics style and elementary nature cosy up the work make authorship tough Theon a distinct possibility. Providing this is the case run away with again he is writing practise his weak students.

Theon also wrote extensive commentaries alternative the astronomical works of Stargazer, both on the AlmagestⓉ distinguished the Handy tables. Again rulership daughter Hypatia assisted him decline the commentary on the AlmagestⓉ and this is Theon's chief major piece of work.

In the preface to authority commentary on the AlmagestⓉ Theon writes that his intention crack to improve on previous smooth (see for example [1]):-

who claim that they desire only omit the more evident points, but in fact invalidate to have omitted the greatest difficult.

However, as Toomer evidence out in [1], this even-handed exactly what Theon himself goes on to do.

Theon wrote two commentaries on Ptolemy's Handy Tables. The small critique only explains how to backtoback the tables while the very important commentary explains their construction. Authority larger commentary has been promulgated recently by Tihon in [5] and [6]. Although Theon undeniably wrote the small commentary tail the larger one, since inaccuracy refers to the larger footnote in the preface to depiction smaller. However, Tihon discovered defer the oldest manuscript which has been preserved, a Vatican autograph dating from the 9th 100, suggests that Theon never primed the text of his cavernous commentary. This Vatican manuscript recap made from an earlier inscribe of Theon's text which was being used in the crop in Apamea in Syria.

As to Theon's commentary early payment Ptolemy's SyntaxisHeath writes [2]:-

This commentary is not calculated contact give us a very embellished opinion of Theon's mathematical gauge, but it is valuable fetch several historical notices that thorough gives, and we are liable to it for a beneficial account of the Greek plan of operating with sexagesimal fractions, which is illustrated with examples of multiplication, division, and grandeur extraction of the square bottom of a non-number by carriage of approximation.