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Wiki Article #1: Heron of Alexandria

Background Information

Heron of Alexandria, or Hero as he was sometimes called, is said to have been born in Alexandria, Egypt where he completed many of his life works.There have been speculations around his actual date of birth as there were three potential time periods in which he was suspected to be alive; 150 B.C; 250 A.D, and 62 A.D. Scholars found that he lived during 10 - 62 A.D. This was based on a reference to an eclipse that was made in one of his works. He was a Greek mathematician, scientist, and inventor and did exceptional work in mathematics, physics, and mechanics, where he was given the name " Michanikos; the Machine Man." Scholars believe that he worked in the museum of Alexandria, which was not like the museums that host precious artifacts, but instead a place where people would go and discuss thoughts and new ideas.

Inventions

There are many inventions that Heron of Alexandria has been credited with, but unforuntately, many of these creations were lost over time. Of those that can be accounted for is the first steam engine, which is known as the aeolipile [1] or the Hero engine. Another great invention of Heron of Alexandria is the first model of what many would consider an automatic door. He figured out a way to manipulate fire, air, and water to create a lever that would lower as it was filled with water and close and the water was removed.

Noteworthy Works

He also made great discoveries in math as well. These discoveries include the field of geometry. His most famous mathematical works could be found in a three book (over seven series included) titled Metrica. This book was lost until around 1896.

Work Cited

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/HeronAlexandria.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6hSv9xqEWI

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/263417/Heron-of-Alexandria

http://library.thinkquest.org/C006011/english/sites/heron_bio.php3?v=2

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Heron.html