Euclid

325B.C-265B.C Euclid //Background info //  It was told that Euclid lived from about 325B.C to 265B.C. Believed to be the son of a man born in Tyre and lived in Damascus. Euclid had gone to the a school at Plato in Athens. His education was obtained mostly from being a student of Plato. (Wellman) Even though there, he had gotten a good educatio n, most of his mathematics information had come from Proclus, a fifth century Greek scholar. Later in life Euclid discovered the university of Alexandria in Egypt. There he had worked until he died. (Rozovsky)  //Contributions // Euclid was a Greek mathmetician from Alexandria who contributed a great deal of knowledge to his field of study. He was frequently called the "Father of Geometry" and is best know for his composition on mathmetics. This book is called //Elements,//which is thought to have a greater influence on one scientific teaching than any other work. Euclid wrote on most branches of math, but geometry was his specialty. Euclidean geometery needs only a compass and a straight edge. ("Euclid")


 * //Euclid's Majo// **


 * //r Contributions To Math// **


 * It is possible to draw a straight line from any point to any point.
 * It is possible to extend a finite straight line continuously in a straight line. (In modern terminology, this says that a line segment can be extended past either of its endpoints to form an arbitrarily large line segment.)
 * It is possible to create a circle with any center and distance (radius).
 * All right angles are equal to one another. (A right angle is, by Euclid's definition, "half" of a straight angle: that is, if a line segment has one of its endpoints on another line segment and divides the second segment into two angles that are equal to each other, the two equal angles are called right angles.)
 * <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15px;">If a straight line falling on (crossing) two straight lines makes the interior angles on the same side less than two right angles, the two straight lines, if produced indefinitely, meet on that side on which the angles are less than the two right angles.
 * <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15px;">Things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other.
 * <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15px;">If equals are added to equals, the wholes (sums) are equal.
 * <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15px;">If equals are subtracted from equals, the remainders (differences) are equal.
 * <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15px;">Things that coincide with one another are equal to one another.
 * <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 15px;">The whole is greater than the part.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px;">Euclid did not do his own research. Though, some of the theories in his textbook are his own. many were adapted from the work of Eudorus. See, what Euclid did that made him famous, was he took all the knowledge that had been accumulated in the mathematics by the Greeks. He started with a series of axioms and postulates that were admired for their <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px;">elegence. Afterwards he had aranged proof after proof in a way that was so logical, it could almost deny proof. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">("Greeks, A Great Adventure" 266-267)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px;">Not much is known about Euclid's beginnings, such as his date or place of birth. He is thought to have learned at Plato's academy in Athens and stayed there until he was invited by Ptolemy I to teach at his newly founded university in Alexandria. It is known that he founded the school of mathmatics in Alexandria, Egypt. (Finkel) Although hardly anything is known about Euclid's personality and personal life, many accounts describe him as a kind, fair and patient man who quickly helped and praised the work of others. (Cartegena) media type="youtube" key="Po6utgMzWNI" height="314" width="560"