Alexander Anderson (mathematician)

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Title page of his Supplementum Apollonii redivivi, 1612

Alexander Anderson (* around 1582 in Aberdeen , † around 1620) was a Scottish mathematician .

The approximate year of birth comes from a reference in one of his books from 1617 (after which he was 35 years old at the time). Nothing is known about his education, but he was educated and appeared in Paris at the beginning of the 17th century, where he already had a reputation as a mathematician. There he published several mathematical treatises between 1612 and 1619. His reputation in Paris led to the fact that he was called in to publish the writings of Francois Viète after his death (1603), to which he also wrote comments and additions. The exact date of his death is not known, as he did not publish anything after 1619, but probably died around 1620. According to his own statements ( Vindiciae Archimedis 1616), he possessed more spirit than possessions.

He also dealt with stereometry following Johannes Kepler (at Kepler calculation of the contents of barrels ). Some of his works are lost (but known by name).

A relative of his, David Anderson of Finzaugh , was also a mathematician and had a daughter who was the mother of the astronomer and mathematician James Gregory (she also taught him mathematics).

His writings are:

  • 1612: Supplementum Apollonii Redivivi (in it he gives a solution to a problem by Apollonios von Perge in the reconstruction by Marin Getaldić , both published solutions)
  • 1615: Pro Zetetico Apolloniani (addition to the previous work, dedicated to Getaldić, to which Anderson's friend Strachan brought Anderson's treatise to Dubrovnik)
  • 1615: Francisci Vietae Fontenaeensis De equationum recognitione et emendatione tractatus duo , deals with the innovations of Viète in the theory of algebraic equations with own additions by Anderson, who also shows that the solutions of the cubic equation are related to the trisection of the angle .
  • 1615: Ad Angularum Sectionem Analytica Theoremata καθολικώτερα (also additions to the work of Viète, included by Frans van Schooten in his edition of Viète's works 1646)
  • 1616: Vindiciae ArchiMedis (in which he criticized Kepler Stereometrie and has the claim of squaring the circle of Philippe van Lansberge back)
  • Animadversionis in Franciscum Vietam à Clemente Cyriaco nuper editae brevis Διάκρισις, Paris, 1617.
  • 1619: Exercitationum Mathematicarum Decas Prima

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Brewster (Ed.): The Edinburgh Encyclopedia . tape 2 . J. and E. Parker, Philadelphia 1832, pp. 41 , entry "Alexander Anderson" (English, limited preview in Google Book Search - American edition).
  2. ^ Zarko Dadic: The early geometrical works of Marin Getaldic . In: Ronald Calinger (Ed.): Vita Mathematica . MAA, 1996, p. 118 (English).
  3. ↑ Francisci Vietae Fontenaeensis De aequationum recognitione et emendatione tractatus duo , Parisiis 1615, e-book of the Vienna University Library
personal data
SURNAME Anderson, Alexander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish mathematician
DATE OF BIRTH around 1582
PLACE OF BIRTH Aberdeen
DATE OF DEATH around 1620