Ancient Greek Contributions to Math and Science

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Ancient Greek Contributions to Math and Science

• Kathy Waddington
• EDU 553

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Greeks vs. The Gods

• Early Greeks used stories about their gods to
  explain scientific mysteries

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Poseidon The Earthshaker?

• Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea was also known
  as The Earthshaker because early Greeks
  believed he caused earthquakes when he was angry.

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Here comes Plato.

• Around the 6th century BC, science as we know it
  started to develop.
• Plato started The Academy a school that lasted
  for over 900 years.
• The Academy influenced many scientific and
  mathematical thinkers.

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Then comes Aristotle.

• Aristotle started another school known as The
  Lyceum
• Aristotle's major contribution to science and
  math is that he emphasized a very careful
  observation and classification of all he studied.

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Archimedes

• Inventor and mathematician
• Invented the Archimedes screw a special system
  that moves flooded water from one place to
  another. This is still used today!

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Archimedes
While taking a bath, Archimedes discovered an
important law of physics that water took up the
same space as his body!! Eureka!!
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Hipparchus
Born ???- 127 BC
One of the first astronomers who discovered the
orbits of the sun and moon. Also was known as the
father of trigonometry, a form of mathematics
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Anaxagoras
C500 c428

• First to realize that moon reflects suns light
• First to realize that sun was a ball of flame.
• First to explain a solar eclipse.

Anaxagoras was imprisoned for claiming that the
sun was not a god!!!
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Parmenides c515-c470 BC

• Figured out that the earth was round! One day
  while watching an eclipse of the moon, he noticed
  that the earth cast a curved shadow on the moon.

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Hippocrates
C460-370 BC
Father of Medicine He believed in studying
patients symptoms looking for practical reasons
for their illness rather that religious ones.
The Hippocratic oath an oath that all doctors
must take was named after Hippocrates, the first
doctor!
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Geometry Thanks These Men
Pythagoras c580-c500 BC Discovered and proved
the existence of right triangles

• Euclid
• Father of Geometry
• Gave us words like triangle, circle, problem
  and parallel.