Euclid of Alexandria
The Father of Geometry, Euclid, lived from about 325 BC till 265 BC, and was born in Alexandria, Egypt. Euclid of Alexandria’s impact on the world of mathematics is immeasurable as he know as “the” best math teacher of all time. Euclid of Alexandria is given so much praise because his textbook The Elements was published over 2000 years ago and is still referenced to today.
The Elements is comprised of many chapters of which many of the great mathematicians’ findings were documented and perfected by Euclid. Around Euclid’s time, other great mathematicians were also breaking barriers and making history. Some of these mathematicians include Plato, Eudoxus, Eratosthenes, and Archimedes. The Elements is the first textbook of its type as it contained 13 books and chapter after chapter of so many new and groundbreaking theorems and formulas of mathematics. Each book contains a specific intricate part of Geometry. Book I of The Elements contains the fundamentals of geometry, such as the theories of triangles, parallels, and area. Book II contains information on geometric algebra. Book III contains the theory of circles. Book IV contains constructions for inscribed and circumscribed figures. Book V of The Elements discusses the theory of abstract proportions. Book VI follows up Book V by talking about smaller figures and proportions in geometry. Not even half-way through the book and it is clear how comprehensive a textbook such as The Elements can be. In Books VII, VIII and IX Euclid discusses the fundmentals and proportions of the number theory. Book X concerns with the classification of incommensurables. The rest of the books wrap up the facets of geometry as book XI is about solid geometry, Book XII is about measurement of figures, and last but not , Book XIII is about regular solids.