The Alexandrians: Hypatia, Diophantus & Ptolemy
Ptolemy 85 - 165 AD / Diophantus 200 - 284 AD / Hypatia 370 - 415 AD of Alexandria, Egypt
Notable Quotes
Ptolemy: "When I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies, I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia, food of the gods."
Quoted in C B Boyer, A History of Mathematics (New York 1968)
Diophantus (reportedly writing his own epitaph): "This tomb hold Diophantus Ah, what a marvel! And the tomb tells scientifically the measure of his life. God vouchsafed that he should be a boy for the sixth part of his life; when a twelfth was added, his cheeks acquired a beard; He kindled for him the light of marriage after a seventh, and in the fifth year after his marriage He granted him a son. Alas! late-begotten and miserable child, when he had reached the measure of half his father's life, the chill grave took him. After consoling his grief by this science of numbers for four years, he reached the end of his life.
Quoted in J R Newman (ed.) The World of Mathematics (New York 1956).
Hypatia "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all."
BIOGRAPHICAL INFO
Ptolemy Bio Info http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Ptolemy.html
Diophantus Bio Info http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Diophantus.html
Hypatia, the First Known Woman Mathematician http://www.mathsci.appstate.edu/~sjg/ncctm/activities/hypatia/hypatia.htm
Known for work in all areas of mathematics, but in particular an emphasis on algebra.
Ptolemy Links
Alexandria, the Ptolemaic Dynasty http://www.touregypt.net/alexhis1.htm
Tour Egypt, Ptolemy the 1st http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ptolemy1.htm
Private Life in Egypt Under the Empire, read the original papyri
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/romanegypt1.html
Ptolemy's Theorem http://www.cut-the-knot.org/proofs/ptolemy.shtml
Ptolemaic Egypt and its Culture http://www.houseofptolemy.org/housecul.htm
Diophantus Links
Diophantus Mathematics http://www.weburbia.demon.co.uk/pg/diophant.htm
The Development of Algebra - The Greeks http://scitsc.wlv.ac.uk/university/scit/modules/mm2217/g.htm
Algebra Fun - Calendar Activity http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/Lessons/calen.html
Internet Links for Algebra http://www.purplemath.com/internet.htm
Hypatia Links
Hypatia More Bio Info (MacTutor) http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Hypatia.html
Hypatia - New Foes with an Old Face online http://poly.polyamory.org/~howard/Hypatia/Kingsley_chapter_01.html
Dr. Sarah's Activities on Hypatia (college level) http://www.mathsci.appstate.edu/~sjg/wmm/hypatia/
More information - credible site http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/h/hy/hypatia_of_alexandria.html
Activities for G. 4-6 http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/educators/angular.html
Alexandrian Greek - Classical Reading Links
On the marriage of Hermes and Philology
http://math.cofc.edu/faculty/kasman/MATHFICT/mfview.php?callnumber=mf292
Martianus Capella (c. 410 A.D.), On the marriage of Hermes and Philology (translated in english by W.H. Stahl, Columbia University Press): Hermes is marrying a minor godess Philology. The Seven Liberal Arts (including Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy and Harmony) come to greet the couple and present themselves."
