Euclid

Born: Alexandria, Egypt 365 B.C.

Died: Athens, Greece 300 B.C.

uclid is considered one of the most prominent mathematicians of antiquity best known for treatise on geometry. He was born about 365 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. He was educated at Plato's Academy in Athens, Greece where he remained for his entire life.

Through 306-283 B.C. he taught at his newly found university. While at the university, about 300 B.C., he wrote his most famous piece The Elements. The Elements consists of 13 books as follows: 1-6 plane geometry, 7-9 number theory, 10 theory of irrational numbers, and 11-13 solid geometry. The book starts with definitions and axioms and ends with a discussion of properties.

Soon after he became know as "Father of Geometry." The first book was printed in 1482 and more than 1000 editions have been published since. People described him as a kind, fair, patient man who helped and praised the work of others. Nobody exactly knows when or how he died. As of today The Elements still stands as a model of reasoning and the basis for modern school textbooks.

Resources

Electric Library

http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Euclid.html