Gerard of Brussels
Encyclopedia
Gerard of Brussels was an early thirteenth-century geometer and philosopher known primarily for his Latin book Liber de motu (or On Motion), which was a pioneering study in kinematics
, probably written between 1187 and 1260. It has been described as "the first Latin treatise that was to take the fundamental approach to kinematics that was to characterize modern kinematics." He brought the works of Euclid
and Archimedes
back into popularity and was a direct influence on the Oxford Calculators
(four kinematicists of Merton College) in the next century. Gerard is cited by Thomas Bradwardine
in his Tractatus de proportionibus velocitatum (1328). His chief contribution was in moving away from Greek mathematics
and closer to the notion of "a ratio of two unlike quantities such as distance and time", which is how modern physics defines velocity
.
Kinematics
Kinematics is the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of bodies and systems without consideration of the forces that cause the motion....
, probably written between 1187 and 1260. It has been described as "the first Latin treatise that was to take the fundamental approach to kinematics that was to characterize modern kinematics." He brought the works of Euclid
Euclid
Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...
and Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
back into popularity and was a direct influence on the Oxford Calculators
Oxford Calculators
The Oxford Calculators were a group of 14th-century thinkers, almost all associated with Merton College, Oxford, who took a strikingly logico-mathematical approach to philosophical problems....
(four kinematicists of Merton College) in the next century. Gerard is cited by Thomas Bradwardine
Thomas Bradwardine
Thomas Bradwardine was an English scholar, scientist, courtier and, very briefly, Archbishop of Canterbury. As a celebrated scholastic philosopher and doctor of theology, he is often called Doctor Profundus, .-Life:He was born either at Hartfield in Sussex or at Chichester, where his family were...
in his Tractatus de proportionibus velocitatum (1328). His chief contribution was in moving away from Greek mathematics
Greek mathematics
Greek mathematics, as that term is used in this article, is the mathematics written in Greek, developed from the 7th century BC to the 4th century AD around the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Greek mathematicians lived in cities spread over the entire Eastern Mediterranean, from Italy to...
and closer to the notion of "a ratio of two unlike quantities such as distance and time", which is how modern physics defines velocity
Velocity
In physics, velocity is speed in a given direction. Speed describes only how fast an object is moving, whereas velocity gives both the speed and direction of the object's motion. To have a constant velocity, an object must have a constant speed and motion in a constant direction. Constant ...
.
Modern editions
- Clagett, Marshall. "The Liber de motu of Gerard of Brussels and the Origins of Kinematics in the West," Osiris, 12(1956):73–175.
External links
- Kinematics in the 13th and 14th Centuries by Teun Koetsier. Abstract: The paper deals with kinematical work by Gerard of Brussels, the Merton College group, Casali and Oresme.