Shen Kuo
Shen Kuo (also Shen Gua, Chinese 沈括 , Pinyin Shěn Kuò ; * 1031 ; † 1095 ) was a Chinese civil servant, scientist, mathematician, geologist, general, diplomat and inventor of the compass for navigation.
He is considered the most important scientist of the Song Dynasty .
Life
Shen was born the son of an official in Qiantang, now Hangzhou , and was classically raised. He passed state exams and earned the title of Jinshi . He became editor of the imperial academy and treasurer. As a civil servant, he supervised the construction of canals and dikes on the Shuhe and Bianhe rivers. After these activities, he moved to Renzhou, Zhenjiang County , Jiangsu Province , where he did scientific studies in the Mengxi Garden.
plant
In his 30-volume work, the Mengxi Bitan ( Chinese 夢溪筆談 , Pinyin Mèngxī Bǐtán , also: Meng Xi Bi Tan, transl . With: dream essays, brush notes or conversations on the dream brook), he dealt with mathematics, astronomy , Geography, geology, mineralogy, chemistry, physics, metallurgy, meteorology, hydraulic engineering, medicine, architecture, biology and agriculture.
He found out that the compass needle does not point north, but towards the magnetic north pole , and with this correction he was able to make the compass more useful for ocean shipping.
In the field of geology , he developed a hypothesis about the formation of soil formations from sediments , having found fossil shells hundreds of miles from the sea.
He also dealt with the Buddhist monk Yi Xing (672-717) from the time of the Tang Dynasty , who had calculated the number of possible positions on a Go board , which was particularly difficult at the time because he still had the calculated number without a system of digits had to express in tens of thousands (the highest number name in use at the time).
Eponyms
The asteroid (2027) Shen Guo , discovered on November 9, 1964, is named after him.
literature
- Shen Kuo: Brush conversations on the dream brook. All the knowledge of ancient China. Translated and edited by Konrad Hermann (Yellow Series Magnum Volume I). Munich: Diederichs Verlag 1997.
Web links
- Literature by and about Shen Kuo in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ (2027) Shen Guo. At: minorplanetcenter.net.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shen, Kuo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Shen Gua |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese politician, scientist, mathematician, geologist, general, diplomat, inventor of the compass for navigation during the Song Dynasty |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1031 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1095 |