One of the most influential mathematicians is Euclid. I have searched and read through articles that gave some insight in to what Euclid actually contributed to math. Although, there are many rumor's out there about Euclid as there was another Euclid that was a philosopher just before his time. I tried to find several articles that contained similar information insuring a more concrete perception of him.
Euclid's Legacy:
Euclid has left such an impact on the world today as he is the one who is credited with creating and conceptualizing the rules of Geometry through his 13 volumes of "The Elements." This book comes with one of the oldest algorithms still used to this day, known as Euclid's Algorithm, which allows us to determine the greatest common divisor of two integers.
Common Notions:
Euclid included unproved assumptions in "The Elements" which he called common notions, but to us we are use to the term axioms. Common notions were to be understood as agreed upon statements of science. We define axiom as "a self-evident truth that requires no proof," and "a universally accepted principle or rule," and in the math courses I have taken so far this is exactly how we proceed with the use of axiom's.
Sources:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/194880/Euclid
http://math.about.com/od/mathematicians/a/euclidbio.htm
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/euclid-436.php
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/axiom?s=t
clear, coherent: +
ReplyDeletecomplete, content: needs more info and depth. What struck you as important from all those references?
consolidated: once you've got more info, think about how to sum it up.