Menelaus of Alexandria

Menelaus (* 70 in Alexandria, † 140 probably in Rome) was a mathematician and astronomer.

There is not much about the life of Menelaus known but it is believed that he moved to his youth from Alexandria to Rome. Both Pappus and Proclus call him Menelaus of Alexandria, so that he may have been born there. A conversation with Lucius is narrated by Plutarch. To 98 to Menelaus did in Rome astronomical observations, such as Claudius Ptolemy records. He has also proved the theorem named after him by Menelaus.

The lunar crater Menelaus is named after him.

Writings

• Sphaerica is the only preserved in Arabic and Hebrew translation work of Menelaus. In the book it comes to the spherical triangles is important for astronomers. In it we find the set of Menelaus. The traditional versions of sphaerica differ, sometimes significantly.

• Further still the Arabs known books of Menelaus were the " Elements of Geometry " ( of which Thabit Ibn Qurra anfertigte a translation is not preserved ) in three books, "The Book of the triangles " have been found from the fragments of an Arabic translation, and two other works. Leave notes in an Arabic source suggests that the " Elements of Geometry " curve also discussed, with the Archytas doubling the cube.