Euclid of Alexandira - 519 Words

Euclid of Alexandria is commonly attributed to be the â€Å"Father of Geometry† and one of the most influential mathematicians of all time. Very little is known about his personal life because records from his era rarely survived. His estimated birth and death dates are 325 B.C. and 265 B.C. There’s no real consensus on whether he was greek or egyptian. Some people believed he was educated at Plato’s Academy, but his life and work didn’t take place in Greece. He moved to Alexandria, Egypt ten years after the city was founded and by then, Alexander the Great had already passed away. Euclid supposedly lived in Alexandria during the time of the first Ptolemy. The only thing certain about Euclid’s life was that he taught in Alexandria after Plato but before Archimedes of Syracuse (Bruno 129). During Euclid’s life, King Ptolemy started a research institute called the Museum. Euclid was one of the first scholars to be associated with the Museum and he taught mathematics there (O’Connor). Euclid was completely devoted to mathematics and his teachings. Euclid’s most important contribution to humanity is his Elements, which is probably â€Å"the most influential textbook in history† (Bruno 126). It’s the second most reproduced book in the western world, next to the bible, and the basis of elementary geometry. The Elements has thirteen books, with each book made up of theorems Euclid personally compiled. Euclid researched influential Greek mathematicians before himself and took the most