Short Biography of Euclid

Euclid was Greek geometer who wrote the Elements, the world's most definitive text on geometry.

The book synthesized earlier knowledge about geometry, and was used for centuries in western Europe as a geometry textbook.

The text began with definitions, postulates ("Euclid's postulates"), and common opinions, then proceeded to obtain results by rigorous geometric proof.

Euclid also proved what is generally known as Euclid's second theorem: the number of primes is infinite.

The beautiful proof Euclid gave of this theorem is still a gem and is generally acknowledged to be one of the "classic" proofs of all times in terms of its conciseness and clarity.

In the Elements, Euclid used the method of exhaustion and reductio ad absurdum. He also discussed the so-called Euclidean algorithm for finding the greatest common divisor of two numbers, and is credited with the well-known proof of the Pythagorean theorem.

Neither the year nor place of his birth have been established, nor the circumstances of his death, although he is known to have lived and worked in Alexandria for much of his life. In addition, no bust which can be verified to be his likeness is known (Tietze 1965, p. 8).

[Right: a commemorative
Euclid stamp issued by the
Republic of the Maldives]

References

Allman, G. J. Greek Geometry from Thales to Euclid. 1976.

Bulmer-Thomas, I. Selections Illustrating the History of Greek Mathematics, Vol. 1: From Thales to Euclid. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980.

Enriques, F. Gli Elementi d'Euclide e la Critica Antica e Moderna, 4 vols. Rome, 1925.

Heath, T. L. A History of Greek Mathematics, Vol. 1: From Thales to Euclid. New York: Dover, pp. 354-476, 1981.

Heath, T. L. The Thirteen Books of the Elements, 2nd ed. unabridged, Vol. 1: Books I and II. New York: Dover, 1956.

Heath, T. L. The Thirteen Books of the Elements, 2nd ed. unabridged, Vol. 2: Books III-IX. New York: Dover, 1956.

Heath, T. L. The Thirteen Books of the Elements, 2nd ed. unabridged, Vol. 3: Books X-XIII. New York: Dover, 1956.

Heiberg, J. L. Literaturgeschichtliche Studien über Euklid. Leipzig, Germany: Teubner, 1882.

Heiberg, J. L. Euclidis Elementa. Leipzig, Germany: Teubner, 1883-1888.

Joyce, D. E. "Euclid's Elements." http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/elements.html

Pauly-Wissowa. "Eukleides." In Real Encylopädie der Class. Altertumwissensch., Vol. 11, 1907.

Rehm, A. and Vogel, K. "Exakte Wissenschaften." In Einleitung in die Altertumwissenschaft, Vol. 2, Part 2, 3rd ed. (Ed. A. Gercke and E. Norden). Berlin: Teubner, pp. 5 and 49, 1922.

Smith, D. History of Mathematics, Vol. 1. New York: Dover, p. 102, 1923.

Tannery, P. "Euclide." In Grande Encyclopédie, Vol. 16, pp. 723-724. Reprinted in Tannery, P. Mémoires Scientifiques, Vol. 3. Toulousse, France: E. Privat, pp. 362-366, 1915.

Tietze, H. Famous Problems of Mathematics: Solved and Unsolved Mathematics Problems from Antiquity to Modern Times. New York: Graylock Press, pp. 8-9 and 19, 1965.

© Eric W. Weisstein
 
 
 

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