Francesco Maurolico (in Latin, Franciscus Maurolycus) (September 16, 1494-July 21 or July 22, 1575) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer. Throughout his lifetime, he made contributions to the fields of geometry, optics, conics, mechanics, music, and astronomy. Image File history File links Maurolico. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1494 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 22 July is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... Events February 13 - Henry III of France is crowned at Reims February 14 - Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont June 28 - Oda Nobunaga defeats Takeda Katsuyori in the battle of Nagashino, which has been called Japans first modern battle. ... Table of Geometry, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... Table of Opticks, 1728 Cyclopaedia Optics (appearance or look in ancient Greek) is a branch of physics that describes the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. ... In mathematics, a conic section (or just conic) is a curved locus of points, formed by intersecting a cone with a plane. ... Mechanics refers to: a craft relating to machinery (from the Latin mechanicus, from the Greek mechanikos, meaning one skilled in machines), or a range of disciplines in science and engineering. ... Music is a human activity which involves structured and audible sounds, which is used for artistic or aesthetic, entertainment, or ceremonial purposes. ... Astronomy (Greek: αστρονομία = άστρον + νόμος, astronomia = astron + nomos, literally, law of the stars) is the science of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere, such as stars, planets, comets, aurora, galaxies, and the cosmic background radiation. ...

Born in Messina of a family of Greek origin that settled in this Sicilian city after the Fall of Constantinople (1453), Maurolico received a solid education. His father, Antonio, had been a physician in Constantinople and later became Master of the Messina mint. The Maurolico family had a villa outside the city. Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Constantine XI† Mehmed II Strength 7,000 100,000 Casualties Entire garrison killed or captured Unknown, but heavy The Fall of Constantinople was the conquest of the Byzantine capital by the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Mehmed II, on Tuesday, May 29... Events May 29 - Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). ... Map of Constantinople. ... A mint is a facility which manufactures coins for currency. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Roman villa. ...

In 1521, Maurolico took holy orders. In 1550, he entered the Benedictine Order and became a monk at the Monastero di Santa Maria del Parto a Castelbuono. Two years later, he was consecrated as abbot at the Cattedrale San Nicolò di Messina. Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. ... Events February 7 - Julius III becomes Pope. ... The longest lasting of the western Catholic monastic orders, the Benedictine Order traces its origins to the adoption of the monastic life by St. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... Abbots coat of arms The word abbot, meaning father, has been used as a Christian clerical title in various, mainly monastic, meanings. ...

Accomplishments

Like his father, Maurolico also became head of the Messina mint and for a time was in charge of maintaining the fortifications of the city on behalf of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Maurolico tutored the two sons of Charles' viceroy in Sicily, Juan de Vega, and had the patronage of many rich and powerful men. He also corresponded with scholars such as Clavius and Federico Commandino. Between 1548 and 1550, Maurolico stayed at the castle of Pollina in Sicily as a guest of the marquis Giovanni II Ventimiglia, and utilized the castle tower in order to carry out astronomical observations. A mint is a facility which manufactures coins for currency. ... Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. ... Juan de Vega was an ambassador of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. ... Clavius can refer to: The lunar crater Clavius. ... Federico Commandino (1509-1575) was an Italian humanist. ... Events Mary I of Scotland sent to France Births September 2 - Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (died 1616) September 29 - William V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1626) Francesco Andreini, Italian actor (died 1624) Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher, astronomer, and occultist (burned at the stake) 1600 (died 1600) Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general... Events February 7 - Julius III becomes Pope. ... The Ventimiglia were a noble family of Southern Italy. ...

Maurolico's astronomical observations include a sighting of the supernova that appeared in Cassiopeia in 1572. Tycho Brahe published details of his observations in 1574; the supernova is now known as Tycho's Supernova. Multiwavelength X-ray image of the remnant of Keplers Supernova, SN 1604. ... Cassiopeia is a northern constellation which Greek mythology considered to represent a vain queen. ... Events January 16 - Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England. ... Tycho Brahe (help· info) , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe (December 14, 1546 – October 24, 1601), was a Danish (Scanian) nobleman astronomer as well as an astrologer and alchemist. ... SN 1572 or Tychos Nova was a supernova in the constellation Cassiopeia, one of the few supernovae visible by the naked eye. ...

In 1569, he was appointed professor at the University of Messina. Events January 11 - First recorded lottery in England. ... The University of Messina (Italian: Università di Messina) is a university located in Messina, Italy, and founded in 1548. ...

Works

• Maurolico's Photismi de lumine et umbra concerns the refraction of light and attempted to explain the natural phenomenon of the rainbow. It was completed in 1521 but was published posthumously in 1611. He also studied the camera obscura.

• His Arithmeticorum libri duo (1575) includes the first known proof by mathematical induction.

• His Opuscola mathematica (1575) attempted to calculate the barycenter of various bodies (pyramid, parabola, etc.).

• In his Sicanicarum rerum compendium, he presented the history of Sicily, and included some autobiographical details. He had been commissioned to write this work, and in 1553 the Senate of Messina granted him a salary of 100 gold pieces per year for two years so that he could finish this work and his works on mathematics.

• Maurolico published a Cosmographia in which he described a methodology for measuring the earth, which was later employed by Jean Picard in measuring the meridian in 1670.
• Maurolico published an edition of Aristotle's Mechanical Problems, and a work on music. He summarized Ortelius's Theatrum orbis terrarum and also wrote Grammatica rudimenta (1528) and De lineis horariis. He made a map of Sicily, which was published in 1575.
• Maurolico translated the ancient texts of Theodosius of Bithynia, Menelaus of Alexandria, Autolycus of Pitane, Euclid, Apollonius of Perga and Archimedes.

The straw seems to be broken, due to refraction of light as it emerges into the air. ... A rainbow arches over Florida. ... Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. ... Events June 23 - Henry Hudsons crew maroons him, his son and 7 others in a boat November 1 - At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeares romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. ... For other uses see Camera obscura (disambiguation) The camera obscura (Lat. ... Events February 13 - Henry III of France is crowned at Reims February 14 - Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont June 28 - Oda Nobunaga defeats Takeda Katsuyori in the battle of Nagashino, which has been called Japans first modern battle. ... Mathematical induction is a method of mathematical proof typically used to establish that a given statement is true of all natural numbers, or otherwise is true of all members of an infinite sequence. ... Events February 13 - Henry III of France is crowned at Reims February 14 - Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont June 28 - Oda Nobunaga defeats Takeda Katsuyori in the battle of Nagashino, which has been called Japans first modern battle. ... It has been suggested that Center of gravity be merged into this article or section. ... Geometric shape created by connecting a polygonal base to an apex For other versions including architectural Pyramids, see Pyramid (disambiguation). ... A parabola The parabola (from the Greek: παραβολή) is a conic section generated by the intersection of a right circular conical surface and a plane parallel to a generating straight line of that surface. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... // Events June 26 - Christs Hospital in London gets a Royal Charter July 6 - Edward VI of England dies July 10 - Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England - for the next nine days July 18 - Lord Mayor of London proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen - Lady Jane Grey... Jean-Felix Picard (July 21, 1620 – July 12, 1682) was a French astronomer and priest born in La Fleche. ... This article is about the astronomical concept. ... 1670 was a common year beginning on a Saturday in countries using the Julian calendar and a Wednesday in countries using the Gregorian calendar. ... Aristotle (Ancient Greek: Aristotelēs 384–March 7 322 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher, who studied with Plato and taught Alexander the Great. ... Mechanical Problems (or Mechanica) is a text by Aristotle. ... Events June 19 - Battle of Landriano - A French army in Italy under Marshal St. ... Events February 13 - Henry III of France is crowned at Reims February 14 - Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont June 28 - Oda Nobunaga defeats Takeda Katsuyori in the battle of Nagashino, which has been called Japans first modern battle. ... Theodosius of Bithynia (ca. ... Menelaus of Alexandria (born ca. ... Autolycus of Pitane (c. ... Euclid Euclid of Alexandria (Greek: ) (ca. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Archimedes of Syracuse. ...

Death and Legacy

He died at Messina. Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ...

The lunar crater Maurolycus is named after him. Maurolycus is one of the more prominent lunar craters in the southern highland region of the Moon that is covered in overlapping crater impacts. ...

Sources

• (Italian) Francesco Maurolico
• (English) The Galileo Project: Francesco Maurolico
• (English) J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, "Maurolico"
• (English) The Maurolico project - Electronic edition of the scientific works of Francesco Maurolico
• (French) The Maurolico project - Electronic edition of the scientific works of Francesco Maurolico