Francesco Maurolico

Franciscus Maurolicus ( born September 16, 1494 in Messina; † 21 / July 22, 1575 in Messina, Francesco Maurolico, Greek Frangiskos Maurolykos ) was a polymath of the 16th century.

Life

He came in a Greek family to the world that you want to have fled to Sicily after the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, as his first biographer, a nephew of the same name, asserted. However, this is incorrect, as the family Mauroli be traced back to the time of the Sicilian Vespers at Messina. His father Antonio Mauroli was Master of the Mint in Messina, his mother came from the measurement Ineser family Spatafora, since the beginning of the 15th century belonged to the Venetian nobility and often depicted the Venetian consul at Messina. Basic knowledge of Greek and astronomy gave him his father, who had been a pupil of Constantine Laskaris. 1521 Francesco was ordained by Archbishop Antonio De Lignamine a priest, in addition to ecclesiastical benefices, as in the Basilian monastery of San Nicandro wore private lessons in grammar and rhetoric of livelihood in and gave him his scientific studies. From 1528 to 1532 he taught on behalf of the city of Messina mathematics and geometry in the Carmelite Monastery. Beginning of the 20s of the 16th century Francesco himself has reshaped the family name Mauroli on the type of humanists to Maurolicus, probably. Inspired by the Sicilian historian and poet Lykos As Giovanni Ventimiglia 1540 Stratigote of Messina, was the friendly and conducive for Maurolico connection began with the family of the Marchesi of Gerace, which lasted until the death of Giovanni's son Simone.

The Benedictine abbot of Messina was regarded as the greatest geometer of his time and was also a mathematician, astronomer, architect and historian. From 1569 Maurolicus was a professor at the University of Messina.

Maurolicus was editor and publisher of ancient mathematicians (including Archimedes, Apollonius of Perga ). His most important work is the 1575 published book Arithmeticorum Libri Duo. In it, he introduced for the first time a proof using mathematical induction.

The lunar crater Maurolycus is named after him.

Writings

• Cosmographia 1543
• Arithmeticorum Libri Duo 1575
• Photismi de lumine et umbra 1611 ( written 1521)