Euclid of Megara

Euclid of Megara (/ˈjuːklɪd/; also Euclides, Eucleides; Greek: Εὐκλείδης; c. 435 – c. 365 BCE) was a Greek Socratic philosopher who founded the Megarian school of philosophy. He was a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BCE, and was present at his death. He held the supreme good to be one, eternal and unchangeable, and denied the existence of anything contrary to the good. Editors and translators in the Middle Ages often confused him with Euclid of Alexandria when discussing the latter's Elements.

Life

Euclid was born in Megara, but in Athens he became a follower of Socrates. So eager was he to hear the teaching and discourse of Socrates, that when, for a time, Athens had a ban on any citizen of Megara entering the city, Euclid would sneak into Athens after nightfall, disguised as a woman to hear him speak. He is represented in the preface of Plato's Theaetetus as being responsible for writing down the conversation between Socrates and the young Theaetetus many years earlier. Socrates is also supposed to have reproved Euclid for his fondness for eristic disputes. He was present at Socrates' death (399 BCE), after which Euclid returned to Megara, where he offered refuge to Plato and other frightened pupils of Socrates.

Euclid

Euclid (/ˈjuːklɪd/; Greek: Εὐκλείδης, Eukleidēs Ancient Greek: [eu̯.klěː.dɛːs]; fl. 300 BCE), sometimes called Euclid of Alexandria to distinguish him from Euclid of Megara, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "father of geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I (323–283 BCE). His Elements is one of the most influential works in the history of mathematics, serving as the main textbook for teaching mathematics (especially geometry) from the time of its publication until the late 19th or early 20th century. In the Elements, Euclid deduced the principles of what is now called Euclidean geometry from a small set of axioms. Euclid also wrote works on perspective, conic sections, spherical geometry, number theory and rigor.

Euclid is the anglicized version of the Greek name Εὐκλείδης, which means "renowned, glorious".

Life

Very few original references to Euclid survive, so little is known about his life. The date, place and circumstances of both his birth and death are unknown and may only be estimated roughly relative to other figures mentioned alongside him. He is rarely mentioned by name by other Greek mathematicians from Archimedes onward, who usually call him "ὁ στοιχειώτης" ("the author of Elements"). The few historical references to Euclid were written centuries after he lived, by Proclus c. 450 AD and Pappus of Alexandria c. 320 AD.

Euclid (disambiguation)

Euclid, Euclides, or Eucleides generally refers to the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria (3rd century BC), who wrote a work on geometry called the Elements.

It may also refer to:

People

Mathematics, science, and technology

Higher education

Euclid Tree

The Euclid Tree is a giant sequoia that is the 16th largest tree in the world. It is located in the Mountain Home Grove, one of several sequoia groves found in the southern Sierra Nevada of California.

History

The Euclid Tree was named and measured in 1989 by "big tree hunter" Wendell Flint, with the help of Bob Walker. Flint later determined that it was by volume the 17th largest tree in the world. However, the number two tree, the Washington Tree, lost its ranking in 2003 due to damage from a lightning strike, and the Euclid Tree is now considered the 16th largest.

Dimensions

The dimensions of the Euclid Tree as measured by Flint and Walker are shown below. The calculated volume ignores burns.

See also

References

Further reading