Page 154 - Sarpedon’dan Keykubad’a Bir Zamanlar Antalya

The Great Maths
Genius Apollonius From Perge

One of the great-
est scientists of the
Hellenistic Period
lived in this geogra-
phy. This important
personality made
very important stud-
ies concerning
mathematics and
astronomy. He was
the scientist who
made the greatest
progress after Eu-
clid and Archime- Fig. 107: Mathematician Apollonius of
des, especially in Compass. Giovanni Battista Memo (1537).
the field of geometry. He wrote eight books in total on this sub-
ject. He was so successful that the books he wrote were trans-
lated into many languages since the Middle Ages…
Apollonius was the name of this great scientist. But the sci-
entific world knew him as Apollonius Pergaeus. In other words,
he was Apollonius of Perge. Besides his great works, his title
was also great. Because at that time, Perge was a very big and
important city in the ancient world. It was a privilege to be a
compass.
Apollonius was born in Perge, about 2280 years ago, in 267
BC He grew up on the soil of today’s Aksu region and drank
its waters. He must have had a talent for mathematics from his
childhood, as when he grew up, he did such great things, a
prodigy. However, young Apollonius must have been aware that
although talent and interest are important, hard work is the most
important factor in becoming a great scientist. So much so that
he traveled from land to land to improve his talents and took les-
sons from the most important mathematics teachers of his time.

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