Hypatia of Alexandria · Mathematics
Mathematics made into metal and water - the astrolabe and the hydrometer - seen through the letters of Hypatia’s student Synesius, who asked her help in building them. Applied science in her circle, and the only contemporary window we have onto her, written by someone who knew and loved her.
You learned that Synesius of Cyrene’s letters are the only contemporary source on Hypatia by someone who knew her, and that they describe practical instruments from her circle - the astrolabe (built on stereographic projection) and the hydrometer (built on buoyancy). Explain what each instrument did and what the…
Leads to Synesius of Cyrene.
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