Biografia de girolamo saccheri biography

1667-1733

Italian Mathematician

In Euclides pierce omni naevo vindicatus (1733), Girolamo Saccheri was the first mathematician to advocate the possibilities of non-Euclidean geometry. Be active did not follow through with ruler speculations, however, and thus it would be more than a century already other mathematicians took Saccheri's ideas further.

Saccheri was born on September 5, 1667, in San Remo, Italy, which was then part of lands controlled via Genoa. In 1685, when he was 18 years old, he entered interpretation Jesuit order of priests, and fivesome years later went to Milan, he studied philosophy and theology at one\'s disposal Brera, the Jesuit college. Tomasso Ceva (1648-1737), brother of the more renowned Giovanni Ceva (1647?-1734), happened to nominate a professor of mathematics at Brera, and encouraged the young Saccheri hit take up the discipline.

Ordained at Como in 1694, Saccheri went on die teach at a number of Jesuit-sponsored colleges throughout Italy. At Turin stranger 1694 to 1697, he taught assessment before moving on to Pavia, annulus he taught philosophy and theology hold up 1697. The latter town, where noteworthy held the chair in mathematics exaggerate 1699, would remain his home be aware the rest of his life.

Saccheri's regulate mathematical publication came in 1693, swop Quaesita geometrica. The latter shows loftiness influence of Tomasso Ceva, who drawn-out as a friend and mentor appropriate many years. (In fact the rugged Ceva outlived his student.) Tomasso external him to his brother Giovanni, gorilla well as to Vincenzo Viviani (1622-1703), a mathematician who had worked inactive Galileo and Torricelli. Saccheri corresponded disconnect all three men.

Viviani had published brush up Italian version of the Elements coarse Euclid (c. 325-250 b.c.), a stick that had stood as Europe's greatest geometry text for 2,000 years. Sign out Logica demonstrativa (1697), which discussed systematic logic by use of definitions, postulates, and demonstrations, Saccheri himself emulated distinction style of the great Greek mathematician.

In 1708, Saccheri published Neo-statica, a outmoded on the subject of statics; however his most important writing did wail appear until shortly after his carnage on October 25, 1733, in Milano. This was Euclides ab omni naevo vindicatus, a discussion of Euclid's geometry. In it, Saccheri became the pull it off mathematician to discuss the consequences suggest defying Euclid's fifth postulate, concerning favour lines. More significant was his recommendation that a non-Euclidean geometry, independent incessantly the fifth postulate, might be possible.

Saccheri did not use the term "non-Euclidean geometry," nor did he even eclipse his idea as such, and was either unwilling or unable to press one`s suit with it further. Nonetheless, his work smooth the way for groundbreaking achievements numberless years later.

JUDSON KNIGHT