Antiquity. Prokl Diadoh

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Papp - last from the well-known Greek mathematicians of the Alexandria centre of science.

After death of Pappa in Alexandria any more there were no scientists of a similar rank, appeared only more or less talented followers and continuers. Most known of them is the heroine of many novels and stories, the philosopher, the mathematician, the astronomer and doctor Gipatija (Ipatija) (370-415) which has written comments to products of Diofanta and Apollonija. Except Gipatii, Prokl Diadoh (apprx. 410-485), the pupil of Platonovsky academy in Athenes, the author of comments to Evklidu, and Evdemy which have informed to a detail about works by Gippokrata were known commentators.

Mathematics, physics, astronomy developed and in the West, and on Kostoke. In the beginning of our era in China (' Heavenly Empire empire ') worked outstanding scientists, among them court astronomer Chzhan Hen (78-139) was one of obrazovannejshih people of China. It has got excellent education and along with the exact sciences was engaged in the literature. At the age of 38 years, having lodged in a province, has completely consecrated itself to employment by astronomy. Chzhan Hen has invented and has made so-called armilljarnuju sphere - the device consisting of several interconnected metal rings, each of which corresponds to one of circles of heavenly sphere - to equator, ekliptike, the meridian and so forth On this sphere accepted positions of the Sun, the Moon and five planets. This ancient prototype of a modern planetarium was set in motion by water.

For many long years supervision of the sky of Chzhan Hen has described 2500 visible China of stars and has united them in 124 constellations. One of the first, he has correctly explained the reason of lunar eclipses, having noticed thus that

The Moon shines the reflected sunlight; has correctly defined an inclination ekliptiki to equator and the reason of change of phases of the Moon. About 120 the scientist has published the book under the name ' Armilljarnaja sphere ' where has stated the theory of the boundless sky according to which the Universe is boundless in time and space.