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Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007) |
| Heron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | fl. 10 AD |
| Residence | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Nationality | Egyptian/Greek |
| Field | Mathematics |
| Known for | aeolipile |
Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria (Greek: Ήρων ο Αλεξανδρεύς) (c. 10 – 70 AD) was a mathematician and engineer who flourished in Alexandria, Roman Egypt and is said to be the greatest experimenter of antiquity.Research Machines plc. (2004). The Hutchinson dictionary of scientific biography. Abingdon, Oxon: Helicon Publishing, 546. “Hero of Alexandria (lived c. AD 60) Greek mathematician and engineer, the greatest experimentalist of antiquity”
Among his most famous inventions were the first documented steam-powered device, the aeolipile, and a windwheel, constituting one the earliest instances of wind harnessing. He is said to have been a follower of the Atomists. Some of his ideas were derived from the works of Ctesibius.
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Heron\'s origins were not recorded in ancient times, but a careful analysis of history allows historians to make conjectures about his origins. It was once the general agreement that Hero was an Egyptian or a Phoenician, a view that is still held by some scholars,
George Sarton (1936). "The Unity and Diversity of the Mediterranean World", Osiris 2, p. 406-463 [429].
"Hero of Alexandria". John H. Lienhard. The Engines of Our Ingenuity. NPR. KUHF-FM Houston. 1995. No. 1038. Transcript.
T. D. De Marco (1974). "Gas-Turbine Standby-Power Generation for Water-Treatment Plants", Journal American Water Works Association 66 (2), p. 133-138.
Victor J. Katz (1998). A History of Mathematics: An Introduction, p. 184. Addison Wesley. ISBN 0321016181.
Justin E. Wilson (2006). Heron’s Formula, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
but the modern scholarly consensus is that he was a Greek.
Gregory A Tokaty (1994). A History and Philosophy of Fluid Mechanics. Courier Dover Publications, p.26. ISBN 0486681033.
Grolier Incorporated (1989). Academic American Encyclopedia. Grolier University of Michigan, p.144. ISBN 0717220249.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online - Heron of Alexandria
Israel Shatzman, Michael Avi-Yonah (1975). Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Classical World. Harper and Row, p.234. ISBN 0060101784.
Gillian Clements (2005). The Picture History of Great Inventors. frances lincoln ltd, p.13. ISBN 0711216053.
Enc. Britannica 2007, "Heron of Alexandria"
The historian of mathematics C. B. Boyer explains that Hero\'s identification as an Egyptian or a Phoenician was largely due to the strong Babylonian influence on his work and that the current consensus is that Hero was a Greek.Boyer (1968 [1991]). "Greek Trigonometry and Mensuration", A History of Mathematics, 171-172. “At least from the days of Alexander the Great to the close of the classical world, there undoubtedly was much intercommunication between Greece and Mesopotamia, and it seems to be clear that the Babylonian arithmetic and algebraic geometry continued to exert considerable influence in the Hellenistic world. This aspect of mathematics, for example, appears so strongly in Heron of Alexandria (fl. ca. A.D. 100) that Heron once was thought to be Egyptian or Phoenician rather than Greek. Now it is thought that Heron portrays a type of mathematics that had long been present in Greece but does not find a representative among the great figures - except perhaps as betrayed by Ptolemy in the Tetrabiblos.”
Heron\'s Aeolipile
A number of references mention dates around 150 BC, but these are inconsistent with the dates of his publications and inventions. This may be due to a misinterpretation of the phrase "first century" or because Hero was a common name.
It is almost certain that Hero taught at the Musaeum which included the famous Library of Alexandria, because most of his writings appear as lecture notes for courses in mathematics, mechanics, physics and pneumatics. Although the field was not formalized until the 20th century, it is thought that the work of Hero, his "programmable" automated devices in particular, represents some of the first formal research into cybernetics.Kelly, Kevin (1994). Out of control: the new biology of machines, social systems and the economic world. Boston: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-48340-8.
Hero was known for his amazing mechanical ingenuity in the ancient world, including his contributions in military technology and theatre. He also created devices used in temples to instill faith by deceiving believers with "magical hands of the gods."
Hero\'s wind-powered organ (reconstruction)
Heron described a method of iteratively computing the square root. It is also called the Babylonian method, because the Babylonians also probably knew of it before Heron wrote it down.
The most comprehensive edition of Hero\'s works was published in 5 volumes in Leipzig by the publishing house Teubner in 1903.
Works known to be written by Hero:
Works which have sometimes been attributed to Hero, but are now thought to have most likely been written by someone else:O\'Connor, J.J. and E.F. Robertson. Heron biography. The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
Works which are preserverd only in fragments:
A 2007 The History Channel television show Ancient Discoveries includes recreations of most of Heron\'s devices.
A 1979 Soviet animated short film focuses on Hero\'s invention of the aeolipile. [1]
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