Euclid of Alexandria

Euclid of Alexandria

  • Submitted By: clau254
  • Date Submitted: 10/13/2008 7:22 PM
  • Category: Biographies
  • Words: 1101
  • Page: 5
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Euclid also referred to as Euclid of Alexandria was born on 325-B.C. and died on 265 B.C. Euclid was a Greek mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Hellenistic Egypt, almost certainly during the reign of Ptolemy I (323 BC–283 BC), is often considered to be the "Father of Geometry". He is considered this because he made a lot of theories for mathematics especially in the field of Geometry. His most popular work, Elements, is thought to be one of the most successful textbooks in the history of mathematics. Euclid wrote the book “Elements” on the year of 300 B.C. This book has been used through the years as a guide that shows us all of Euclid’s contributions to society, the main focus of this book is Geometry, and the way geometrical figures are structured. Euclid elements is a mathematical and geometric treatise, consisting of 13 books, written by the Hellenistic mathematician Euclid in Alexandria circa 300 BC. It comprises a collection of definitions, postulates or axioms, propositions, theorems and constructions, and proofs of the theorems. The 13 books cover Euclidean geometry and the ancient Greek version of elementary number theory. The “Elements” begins with definitions and five postulates. The first three postulates are postulates of construction, for example the first postulate states that it is possible to draw a straight line between any two points. These postulates also implicitly assume the existence of points, lines and circles and then the existence of other geometric objects are deduced from the fact that these exist. There are other assumptions in the postulates which are not explicit. For example it is assumed that there is a unique line joining any two points. Similarly postulates two and three, on producing straight lines and drawing circles, respectively, assume the uniqueness of the objects the possibility of whose construction is being postulated. The fourth and fifth postulates are of a different nature. Postulate four states that all right...

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