Al-Birjandi
Encyclopedia
Abd Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Husayn Birjandi (died 1528) was a prominent 16th century Persian astronomer, mathematician
and physicist
who lived in Birjand
, Iran
.
He also wrote some treatises on theology.
and astrophysics
, al-Birjandi continued Ali al-Qushji
's debate on the Earth's rotation. In his analysis of what might occur if the Earth were moving, he develops a hypothesis similar to Galileo Galilei
's notion of "circular inertia
", which he described in the following observational test
(as a response to one of Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi
's arguments):
Islamic mathematics
In the history of mathematics, mathematics in medieval Islam, often termed Islamic mathematics or Arabic mathematics, covers the body of mathematics preserved and developed under the Islamic civilization between circa 622 and 1600...
and physicist
Islamic science
Science in the medieval Islamic world, also known as Islamic science or Arabic science, is the science developed and practised in the Islamic world during the Islamic Golden Age . During this time, Indian, Iranian and especially Greek knowledge was translated into Arabic...
who lived in Birjand
Birjand
Birjand is the east Iranian provincial capital of South Khorasan and the centre of the county Birjand resp. Quhestan, known for its saffron, barberry, rug and handmade carpet exports....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
His works
He wrote some more than 13 books and treatises; The following is a partial list of some of his works:- Sharh al-tadhkirah (A commentary on al-TusiNasir al-Din al-TusiKhawaja Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan Ṭūsī , better known as Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī , was a Persian polymath and prolific writer: an astronomer, biologist, chemist, mathematician, philosopher, physician, physicist, scientist, theologian and Marja Taqleed...
's memoir). The text, in some copies of the manuscript from 17th century, is written throughout in black and red ink with diagrams illustrating many of the astronomical elements discussed. The 11th chapter of the book was translated to Sanskrit in 1729 at Jaipur by Nayanasukhopadhyaya. Kusuba and Pingree present an edition of the Sanskrit, and in a separate section, an English translation facing the Arabic original. That chapter has attracted attention among European scholars since the late 19th century. Al-Birjandi on Tadhkira II, Chapter 11, and Its Sanskrit Translation by Kusuba K. and Pingree D.David PingreeDavid Edwin Pingree was a University Professor and Professor of History of Mathematics and Classics at Brown University, and was one of America's foremost historians of the exact sciences in antiquity.-Life:He graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts in 1950 and thereafter attended...
ISBN 9789004124752 was published in 2001 by Brill Academic Publishers.
- Sharh-i Bist Bab dar Ma'rifat-i A'mal-i al-Asturlab (Commentary on "Twenty Chapters Dealing with the Uses of the Astrolabe" of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi; Persian.
- Risalah fi Alat al-Rasad (Epistle on observational instruments); in Arabic.
- Tadhkirat al-Ahbab fi Bayan al-Tahabub (Memoir of friends: concerning the explanation of friendship [of numbers]); Arabic.
He also wrote some treatises on theology.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
In Islamic astronomyIslamic astronomy
Islamic astronomy or Arabic astronomy comprises the astronomical developments made in the Islamic world, particularly during the Islamic Golden Age , and mostly written in the Arabic language. These developments mostly took place in the Middle East, Central Asia, Al-Andalus, and North Africa, and...
and astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, al-Birjandi continued Ali al-Qushji
Ali Kusçu
Ala al-Dīn Ali ibn Muhammed , known as Ali Qushji , was a Turkic or Persian astronomer, mathematician and physicist originally from Samarkand, who settled in the Ottoman Empire some time before 1472...
's debate on the Earth's rotation. In his analysis of what might occur if the Earth were moving, he develops a hypothesis similar to Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
's notion of "circular inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
", which he described in the following observational test
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
(as a response to one of Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi
Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi
Qotb al-Din Shirazi or Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi was a 13th century Persian Muslim polymath and Persian poet who made contributions astronomy, mathematics, medicine, physics, music theory, philosophy and Sufism.- Biography :...
's arguments):
See also
- Science in medieval Islam
- Astronomy in medieval Islam
- Islamic cosmologyIslamic cosmologyIslamic cosmology refers to cosmology in Islamic societies. It is mainly derived from the Qur'an, Hadith, Sunnah, and current Islamic as well as other pre-Islamic sources...
- List of Iranian scientists and scholars
- List of Muslim scientists