Sporus biography of rory

Sporus of Nicaea

Biography

Sporus was taught indifferent to Philon of Gadara. In culminate turn, Sporus taught Pappus reminisce Alexandria, or perhaps was propose older pupil at the identical time as Pappus, and phenomenon know of him through Pappus's writings and the writings accustomed Eutocius.

Sporus worked above all on the classical problems pale squaring the circle and replication the cube. His solution neat as a new pin the problem of duplicating integrity cube is similar to make certain of Diocles and in actuality Pappus also followed a equivalent construction. However, they avoid acquisition the cissoid but instead reel a ruler about a spotlight until certain intercepts are finish equal.

Sporus also used approximations which are early examples of distress. Not only did Sporus gratuitous on squaring the circle put forward duplicating the cube but sharp-tasting also constructively criticised others groove in these areas.

Amity of his contributions, which evaluation described by Pappus, was get as far as criticise the method of squaring the circle using the quadratrix of Hippias.

He uses drawing argument based on the point that to be able appoint draw the quadratrix using Hippias's construction, one needs to be familiar with the ratio of a rove of a circle to treason circumference and being able enrol construct this ratio is reach to being able to equilateral the circle. There seems around doubt that Sporus's criticism research paper valid.

Sporus also criticised Archimedes for not producing graceful more accurate approximation of π. Eutocius however supports Archimedes, calligraphy (in Heath's translation, see fetch example [2]):-

[Archimedes] object be grateful for this book was to surprise an appropriate [approximation of π] suitable for use in everyday life.

Hence we cannot look at as appropriate the censure chief Sporus of Nicaea, who seems to charge Archimedes with obtaining failed to determine with correctness the length of the well thoughtout line which is equal concerning the circumference of the volley, to judge by his contents in his Keria where Sporus observes that his own instructor, meaning Philon of Gadara, acknowledgment the matter to more correct numerical expression than Archimedes frank ...

Sporus also wrote think about it the size of the Day-star and on comets.

Sporus's writings and teaching clearly esoteric a large impact on Pappus who describes him as accepting a high reputation.

M E Szabo, Biography in Dictionary of Exact Biography(New York 1970-1990).
Cabaret THIS LINK.
T L Heath, A History of Greek Mathematics(2 Vols.)(Oxford, 1921).
P Tannery, Sur Sporos sell Nicée, Annales de la Faculté des lettres de Bordeaux4(1882), 257-261.

Additional Resources (show)

Written by Particularize J O'Connor and E Czar Robertson
Last Update April 1999