Antiquity. Works of Pappa Alexandria

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The Most valuable source of knowledge of history of Ancient Greek mathematics - works Pappa Alexandria (III-IV centuries). In the products of Papp often quotes compositions of numerous ancient mathematicians, tells about the last, supplies their works as comments and supplements with own reasonings. Thanks to Pappu it became known that Evklid was the modest, soft and talented person.

From works of Pappa we learn also that Archimedes has written to the relative, sirakuzskomu to the tsar, the letter in which has stated the well-known saying: ' Give me a point of support, and I will shift the Earth '. Papp has informed also that Archimedes works on the mechanic ' About support ' (or ' About levers ') contained the theory of the centres of gravity of the bodies considered as a point of support, providing balance of ph.

Papp is known also as the author of the comment to the well-known antique astronomical treatise ' Great construction ' (in an Arabian way ' for Al-Madzhest ', latinizirovannoe the name ' Almagest '), written by the great astronomer, the mathematician and geographer Klavdiem Ptolemeem (II century). In this comment of Papp informs on a solar eclipse which he observed on October, 18th 320 It is the message unusually important as thanks to it we know when veins and the well-known Greek scientist worked.

Working in Alexandria, Papp had access to books of the Alexandria library where ached products of outstanding scientists and writers are collected. However creativity of Pappa was not limited to comments to these products though also its this work has for us important value as thanks to it names of scientists, names of many works which have not reached us znamenih ancient mathematicians, and also fragments from them became known. Besides, Papp systematised and has added achievements of the predecessors in the field of geometry, having written product ' Mathematical meeting ', left in eight books.