Leonardo

Leonardo da Vinci

Born: 15 April 1452 in Vinci (near Empolia), Italy
Died: 2 May 1519 in Amboise, France

Previous (Chronologically) Next     Biographies Index

Previous ( Alphabetically) Next          Welcome page
Leonardo da Vinci had many talents in addition to his painting. He worked in mechanics but geometry was his main love.

He became interested in geometry when he illustrated Pacioli's Divina proportione . He continued to work with Pacioli and is reported to have neglected his painting because he became so engrossed in geometry.

He studied Euclid and Pacioli's Suma . Leonardo began his own geometry research sometimes giving mechanical solutions. He gave several methods of squaring the circle, again using mechanical methods.

References:

  1. Dictionary of Scientific Biography
  2. Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica
  3. P Duhem, Études sur Léonard de Vinci (Paris, 1906-13).
  4. R McLanathan, Images of the Universe: Leonardo da Vinci: The Artist as Scientist (1966).
  5. M Kemp, Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvelous Works of Nature and Man (1981). 
Previous (Chronologically) Next     Biographies Index

Previous ( Alphabetically) Next          Welcome page

History Topics Index              Famous curves index

Chronologies                           Birthplace Map

Mathematicians of the day  Anniversaries for the year

Search Form   Simple Search Form   Search Suggestions
JOC/EFR February 1996