Questions tagged [middle-ages]
The middle-ages tag has no usage guidance.
20
questions
0
votes
2
answers
176
views
In Middle Ages Europe, Physical scientists referred to the "Queen of Sciences"; what was this?
We often hear scientists write of the Queen of Sciences. To what were they referring? And is it relevant in today's research?
- 151
7
votes
1
answer
638
views
Fibonacci and straightedge and compass constructions
In "Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times" Morris Kline claims (on page 209) that Leonardo da Pisa (Fibonacci) "showed that the roots of $x^3+2x^2+10x=20$ are not ...
- 411
2
votes
1
answer
98
views
Parisian scholastics' work on mechanics
I was reading the Compendium of the foundations of classical statistical physics by Jos Uffink where, on p. 4, the following statement is made:
In a discussion of the foundations of classical ...
- 123
7
votes
1
answer
594
views
Did Ibn Al-Haytham believe that the Moon reflects sunlight or that it is self-luminous?
There are at least two articles about Ibn Al-Haytham in Encyclopedia First and Second
Both these articles have one major difference that is according to the First article:
The Light of the Stars (III ...
- 243
2
votes
0
answers
71
views
Nachmanides and the Greek proof that the earth is mostly covered with water
In the Biblical account of creation, G-d divided the waters. The rabbi and Biblical commentator Nachmanides wrote about this that he believes the Greek demonstration that the earth is mostly covered ...
- 299
3
votes
1
answer
238
views
On Ptolemy climes
Reading Dante's Comedy, I was interested in understand a little bit how medieval geography worked, so I decided to have a look at
Edward Luther Stevenson's translation of Ptolemy's Geographia. I've ...
- 279
1
vote
1
answer
147
views
"Stone of Folly" based on maybe finding and removing brain tumors?
There is a famous painting by Hieronymus Bosch in which someone is being operated on to remove the "stone of folly".
Detail from Hieronymus Bosch's painting titled "Extraction of the ...
- 1,101
6
votes
2
answers
208
views
What mathematical problems did the Sicilians need Arab help with in 1229? Did the Arabs solve these problems?
An incident in the negotations of the Sixth Crusade is described as Frederick II asking help from Arab scholars with some mathematical problems:
... and the sultan graciously allowed Frederick to ...
- 328
2
votes
2
answers
414
views
Who is considered the greatest mathematician between the years 400 AD and 1300 AD? [closed]
Some mathematicians are considered the "greatest of their era". For instance, Archimedes is generally considered the greatest mathematician of Antiquity. Is there any mathematician who stood out ...
- 1,516
2
votes
0
answers
145
views
How widespread was the belief in Europe that the Earth is round until the Renaissance?
Already in antiquity, Greek mathematicians realized that the Earth is round, and the idea was operative in Europe ever since. But how widespread was this belief in the centuries until the Renaissance?
...
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
What are other ancient encyclopaedic texts like Pliny's “Naturalis Historia” that were available in medieval times?
The German historian of medieval thought, Kurt Flasch claims in one of his books ("Das philosophische Denken im Mittelalter", my translation "philosophical thought in medieval times") the following:
...
- 171
2
votes
1
answer
169
views
Was ibn Sina the only Muslim physician who influenced modern medicine?
Well when it comes to Muslim scholars who had influence in medicine the major books and scholars which are referred to is ibn Sina and his Canon القانون في الطب.
But many other Muslim scholars have ...
- 255
5
votes
2
answers
742
views
When was the diving bell invented?
This question comes from my attempts to give a good answer to the previous question, How was difference in water pressure perceived in ancient cultures or the middle ages?
I know from my childhood ...
- 47.4k
9
votes
1
answer
238
views
How was difference in water pressure perceived in ancient cultures or the middle ages?
I recently wondered: Even when diving to just 2-3 meters without any modern equipment one can feel the change in pressure. Do we have any evidence how this was perceived and explained back in ancient ...
11
votes
5
answers
2k
views
I'm looking for books of Muslim scholars/scientists who have had some influence in the development of modern science
In the Golden Age of Islam, Muslim scholars and scientists wrote a lot of books and manuscripts in many sciences such as medicine.
My question is, are there any books which have had some longer (or ...
- 255
2
votes
2
answers
250
views
Exploring problems about quadratic function (in one variable) across the ages
I'm looking for problems about quadratic function across the ages. For example, in the Babylonian civilization, there are problems which are related with quadratic equation. Besides that, the concept ...
- 121
15
votes
2
answers
478
views
Was there any exact science or mathematics in the Eastern Roman Empire?
I mean in the Byzantine empire, from the transfer of the capital to Constantinople till its conquest by the Turks, spanning about 12 centuries. Unlike the Western Roman Empire, this one was never ...
- 47.4k
11
votes
2
answers
751
views
How much did scholasticism contribute to logic and mathematics?
I occasionally encounter mentions suggesting that late middle ages weren't as barren intellectually as commonly believed. For example, Occam and Scotus are credited with developing modal and ...
- 73.2k
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Who was Elissaeus Judaeus?
There is an interesting web site called Mathematical Genealogy http://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/ which lists about 140000 mathematicians with their student-advisor relations. I think that this ...
- 47.4k
28
votes
1
answer
581
views
Contributions to chemistry from medieval Arabia
A lot of chemical terms such as alcohol, aldehyde, sugar/azucar, amalgam etc. are of Arabic origin.
Did Arabic chemistry in medieval times achieve any scientific insights still valid today (such as '...
- 1,537