Adam Ries

Adam Ries (1492 – March 30, 1559) was a German mathematician. He is also known by the name Adam Riese.

Life

Almost nothing is known about Ries' childhood, youth and education. It is not even possible to determine the year of his birth with certainty. The caption on the only known contemporary portrait of the mathematician reads: ANNO 1550 ADAM RIES SEINS ALTERS IM LVIII. So he was in his 58th year of age at the time of the picture, which was made in 1550. From this it can be deduced that he was born in 1492, although if he did not turn 58 until the end of 1550, he could alternatively have been born in 1493.

The location of his birth, Staffelstein, can be determined with certainty, since he gives information about himself in the preface to his book, Coß. His father was the owner of the mill there, Contz Ries, and his mother, Eva Kittler, was his father's second wife.

The first decades after Ries' birth are not documented, so it is not known which schools he attended. There is also no information about the studies of the later mathematician in the matriculation registers of the universities which existed at that time.

Adam (given name)

Adam is a common masculine given name.

The personal name Adam derives from the Hebrew noun ha adamah meaning "the ground" or "earth". It is still a Hebrew given name, and its Quranic and Biblical usage has ensured that it is also a common name in all countries which draw on these traditions. It is particularly common in Christian- and Muslim-majority countries. In most languages its spelling is the same, although the pronunciation varies somewhat. Adán is the Spanish form of this name.

Adam is also a surname in many countries, although it is not as common in English as its derivative Adams (sometimes spelled Addams). In other languages there are similar surnames derived from Adam, such as Adamo, Adamov, Adamowicz, Adamski etc.

In Arabic, Adam (آدم) means "made from the earth/mud/clay".

Translations

Roger Adam

Roger Adam was a French aircraft designer and manufacturer who produced light aircraft in kit from 1948 to 1955. He established the firm Etablissements Aeronautiques R. Adam.

Aircraft Designs Produced

Adam (Ravenloft)

Adam is a fictional character; from the Ravenloft campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

Publication history

Adam was a major character in the 1994 novel, Mordenheim, written by Chet Williamson.

Fictional character biography

Adam is the darklord of Lamordia. Known as Mordenheim's Monster or the Creature, he is an extremely intelligent and nimble dread flesh golem, based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Adam is the most successful creation of Dr. Victor Mordenheim in his research into the creation of life, albeit the one that causes him grief unmeasured. Adam reduced the doctor's wife Elise to a vegetative state and apparently murdered their adopted daughter Eva.

The two are inextricably bound together: Dr. Mordenheim has Adam's immortality, and in return Adam shares the doctor's anguish.

Usually hidden from sight, Adam is believed to spend most of his time on the Isle of Agony, part of the archipelago known as the Finger.

References

Sources