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Heron of Alexandria, or Hero of Alexandria, (flourished c. ad 62, Alexandria, Egypt),
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Hero of Alexandria (/ˈhɪəroʊ/; Ancient Greek: Ἥρων[a] ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Hērōn hò Alexandreús, also known as Heron of Alexandria /ˈhɛrən/; probably 1st or 2nd century AD) was a Greek mathematician and engineer who was active in Alexandria in Egypt during the Roman era. He has been described as the greatest experimentalist of antiquity and a representative of the Hellenistic scientific tradition.[1][2]
Hero published a well-recognized description of a steam-powered device called an aeolipile, also known as "Hero''s engine". Among his most famous inventions was a windwheel, constituting the earliest instance of wind harnessing on land.[3][4] In his work Mechanics, he described pantographs.[5] Some of his ideas were derived from the works of Ctesibius.
In mathematics, he wrote a commentary on Euclid''s Elements and a work on applied geometry known as the Metrica. He is mostly remembered for Heron''s formula; a way to calculate the area of a triangle using only the lengths of its sides.[6]
Much of Hero''s original writings and designs have been lost, but some of his works were preserved in manuscripts from the Byzantine Empire and, to a lesser extent, in Latin or Arabic translations.
A number of devices and inventions have been ascribed to Hero, including the following:
Hero described an iterative algorithm for computing square roots, now called Heron''s method, in his work Metrica, alongside other algorithms and approximations.[21] Today, however, his name is most closely associated with Heron''s formula for the area of a triangle in terms of its side lengths. Hero also reported on a method for calculating cube roots.[22] In solid geometry, the Heronian mean may be used in finding the volume of a frustum of a pyramid or cone.
Hero also described a shortest path algorithm, that is, given two points A and B on one side of a line, find a point C on the straight line that minimizes AC + BC. This led him to formulate the principle of the shortest path of light: If a ray of light propagates from point A to point B within the same medium, the path-length followed is the shortest possible. In the Middle Ages, Ibn al-Haytham expanded the principle to both reflection and refraction, and the principle was later stated in this form by Pierre de Fermat in 1662; the most modern form is that the optical path is stationary.
The most comprehensive edition of Hero''s works was published in five volumes in Leipzig by the publishing house Teubner in 1903.
Works known to have been written by Hero include:
Works that have been preserved only in Arabic translations:
Works that sometimes have been attributed to Hero, but are now thought most likely to have been written by someone else:[11]
Works that are preserved only in fragments:
Heron was probably born in Alexandria, Egypt, during the first century ad. Like the earlier mathematician Euclid, Heron was a Greek who lived and worked in Alexandria at the site of a great library and research institute called the Museum because it was dedicated to the Muses. His books may well have been lecture notes from teaching at the Museum. The best clue to his dates is his description of a recent eclipse, known to have occurred in ad 62.
Heron''s most important geometric work, Metrica, was rediscovered in 1896. Its three books contain formulas for calculating area and volume that Heron gathered from a variety of sources. Book I contains a derivation of a formula developed by Archimedes. Book I also describes a method for finding square roots that was used in ancient Babylon; it is similar to the way computers find square roots today. Book II tells how to calculate the volume of pyramids, cones, and other solids. Book III discusses how to divide various plane and solid figures into halves or other ratios.
Dioptra, Heron''s book on land surveying, contains a description of a surveying instrument called the diopter, used for measuring angles, and tells how to use the diopter to measure distances in space. It also describes a way to measure the distance between Alexandria and Rome by comparing the local times when a lunar eclipse was visible in the two cities. It ends with the description of an odometer for measuring the distance a wagon or cart travels.
In Mechanica, Heron again drew on the work of Archimedes to present a wide range of engineering principles, including a theory of motion, a theory of the balance, methods of lifting and transporting heavy objects with mechanical devices, and a way to calculate the center of gravity for various shapes. The Pneumatica, in two books, describes a menagerie of mechanical devices, or "toys": singing birds, puppets, coin-operated machines, a fire engine, a water organ, and his most famous invention, the first steam-powered engine. (See also mathematics at a glance.)
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Heron of Alexandria (c. 10 CE - c. 70 CE) is one of the most fascinating figures in Greek history, standing alongside mathematicians such as Pythagoras, Archimedes and Euclid as a major contributor to the history of science. This fascinating man was a brilliant geometer and mathematician, but he is most commonly remembered as a truly great inventor.
This genius built steam engines, programmable computers, robots and surveying instruments, many of which show the workings of a keen and insightful mind, and he is certainly worthy of being mentioned alongside Archimedes, Leonardo Da Vinci and Edison as one of the greatest inventors in human history.
Despite the lack of historical records on Heron''s life, the breadth of his writings on mathematics and mechanics leave little doubt that he was well educated. Heron was strongly influenced by the writings of Ctesibius of Alexandria and may even have been a student of the ancient mechanical engineer. His works draw on a wide range of sources, written in Greek, Latin, and Egyptian, and he added his own ideas to this solid basis.
Heron''s writings in mathematics and mechanics reveal that he was practical by nature, often using ingenious means to attain his goal, such as his design for a steam engine, war catapults, and various machines for lifting that used compound pulleys and winches.
Heron was also precise in dictating the types of materials that should be used to make the machine function properly. Interestingly, Heron designed several mechanical devices to simulate temple miracles, including a device attached to the temple door which made a trumpet play when the door was opened, a coin-operated holy water dispenser, and a device for opening temple doors using heat and water power.
Very little is known about the life of Heron of Alexandria. There are many mentions of writers called Heron (or Hero), but it was a very common name in the Hellenistic world. Historians think that he was born in the great seat of learning, Alexandria, Egypt, at about 10 CE, and that he was an ethnic Greek, although a few historians believe that he was Babylonian or Mesopotamian.
Heron taught at the University of Alexandria where, judging by the contents of his books, he taught mathematics, physics, pneumatics and mechanics. In these fields, he made many excellent contributions and, along with Archimedes, explored the practical uses of mathematics and physics.
Heron wrote at least 13 books, covering a range of topics:
These books all covered mathematical theory, including formulae for calculating the area of shapes and the volumes of solids, and the books also contain good approximations of square roots and cube roots. It must be noted that historians are unclear whether these texts were the work of Heron or written by someone else. As with many Ancient Greek texts, often only available in Arabic or Latin, or gleaned from other secondary sources, it is difficult to ascertain the original authorship.
Whoever wrote these texts, they contain the first known references to a systematic geometric system with standard terminology and symbols. All of the geometrical texts concentrate largely on the practical uses of the formulae and the examples are related to solving real-world problems.
Even the date of death of this great inventor is uncertain. While we know little of his life, we know a lot about his work and his inventions, some of which he may have built, some of which he didn''t. His work certainly influenced the great Islamic scholars and certainly influenced greats such as Leonardo Da Vinci.
His work on mechanics was revived during the Industrial Revolution, and some of his techniques in mechanics and surveying were used up until the 19th Century, ensuring that Heron of Alexandria deserves a place alongside the likes of Euclid and Archimedes as Greek mathematicians whose work lasted for centuries after their death.
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Martyn Shuttleworth (Oct 8, 2011). Heron of Alexandria. Retrieved Nov 30, 2024 from Explorable : https://explorable /heron-of-alexandria
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