Euclid and the birth of geometry

Euclid (330 - 275 BC) was born in Athens, the capital of Greece, one of the largest and most beautiful ancient cities in the world .

Many people do not like Math and Geometry, but if they know the endless effort and passion of the person who created this subject - Euclid - they will likely change. Because this outstanding mathematician not only pioneered the system of geometry into a subject, but also inspired the love of Mathematics for posterity.

Father of geometry

Euclid attempted to gather all knowledge of geometry into the most valuable mathematics book of all time. (Photo: Ancient-origins.net).

Documents about Euclid's childhood are very scarce and legendary, so historians can only speculate about his student life.

According to the first guess , Euclid was a student at the Academy of Athens, the educational center of the ancient world. At this academy, he was exposed to the Philosophy and Mathematics of the famous scholar Plato (428/427 - 348/347 BC). Most likely, Euclid was also a student of Plato or a student of Plato's disciple, because his concept of Mathematics was quite similar to Plato's.

The second conjecture is that Euclid was influenced by Pythagoras (570 - 495 BC). Compared to Plato, Pythagoras was much more passionate about geometry and he was the one who created the Pythagorean theorem, a geometric formula that not only influenced all of ancient Greece, but also forever.

The third conjecture is that Euclid was a geometric genius. He was not influenced by either Plato or Pythagoras but discovered the appeal of geometry himself, using logical thinking and his outstanding pedagogical ability to convey knowledge to the next generation.

All three conjectures above have the same purpose to explain Euclid's extraordinary mathematical talent. With Elements, a 13-volume treatise on geometric mathematics, he wrote his name in world history, and was recognized by later generations as the 'father of geometry'.

The most valuable set of math books

Euclid - brilliant geometric mathematician. (Photo: Ancient-origins.net).

According to the definition from the 'Encyclopedia' , 'geometry is a branch of Mathematics related to shape, size, relative position of shapes and properties of space'. The birth of geometry was very early. Although the exact time is unknown, it certainly originated from the need for land surveying and architectural design in ancient society.

Most ancient civilizations mentioned and made use of geometry. For example, the Egyptians and Babylonians used rudimentary geometry to measure the land, build houses, and predict astronomical events.

According to researchers' speculation, it was these rudimentary geometric principles that laid the foundation for ancient Greek scholars such as Thales (624 - 546 BC), Pythagoras and especially Euclid to build concepts. more systematic and abstract.

Compared to Thales or Pythagoras, Euclid was 'late in birth'. However, he was the one who gathered together the different geometric principles of his predecessors, combined with his own knowledge to create a comprehensive geometric subject called 'Euclidean geometry' . And, the embodiment of 'Euclidean geometry' is the set of 13 mathematics books called 'Elements'.

Characteristics of 'Facility' are systematic and logical. Each of its volumes specializes in a different geometric topic and each geometric topic is explained, analyzed. thoroughly, with clear words and accurate illustrations.

Thanks to it, all knowledge about geometry from before Euclid's time is synthesized and divided into easy-to-read and easy-to-read categories, helping both learners and researchers to access more simply.

Immediately, 'Foundations' was used as a textbook for geometry. From birth until now, it has continuously been the foundation for the study of geometric principles, definitions and proofs.

A page from the first printed edition of "Establishments", published in 1482. (Photo: Ancient-origins.net).

Also since 'Foundations' appeared, geometry was born. With this volume of Euclid's books, people's purpose in understanding geometry is not just 'for practical sake', but also the pursuit of timeless wisdom. After more than two millennia of continuous exploration, humanity has conquered high-level geometry and continues to pursue new knowledge.

Above all, Euclid's contributions went beyond geometry, touching many other areas of mathematics and laying the foundation for concepts and approaches that continue today.

Euclid's influence did not stop in geometry, but also spread into number theory, algebra and logic, establishing a framework for building theories, proofs, arguments. definitions, premises Math.