Apollonius of Perga was an ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer who lived roughly from 240 to 190 BC and is best known for his work on conic sections. Building on foundations laid by Euclid and Archimedes, his eight-book treatise Conics introduced and named the ellipse, parabola and hyperbola in terms still used today, and represented the height of geometric knowledge before the later development of analytic geometry. Along with Euclid and Archimedes, Apollonius is generally counted among the greatest mathematicians of antiquity.
Facts
Partially Attested
Birth YearApproximate; c. 240 BC, entered as a negative year. Death YearApproximate; c. 190 BC, entered as a negative year. Notable Work In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Greece, nationality there.
Sources
1. Apollonius of Perga, Wikipedia
Opening section, birth year
c. 240 BC
Opening section, death year
c. 190 BC
Opening section, field
was an ancient Greek geometer and astronomer known for his work on conic sections
Opening section, nationality
was an ancient Greek geometer and astronomer
Writings section
Only one survives, Conics.
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