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Astro*Dictionary by Michael Erlewine

 

 

 

 

1 article for "Apollonius"

Apollonius [Astro*Index]

(ap-uh-loh'nee-us)

(BC261-190) Greek mathematician. Born at Perga (southern Turkey), died at Pergamum.

Educated at the Museum, he may have studied under Archimedes. Wrote a work on Conic Sections in eight books, which included three curves: the ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola. Not until 1800 years later do these curves find application with the orbits of planets in the work of Kepler and Newton. In the latter years of his life, he moved to Pergamum, which had a library considered to be second only to the great Alexandria Library.

 

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