Library Of People: Asian

Asian Scientists

Fu An Culture: Chinese Area of Study: Astronomy Century: 1st Contibution: Chia Kuei improved the armillary ring for locating stars by combining a ring that shows the equator with one that shows the sun's motion through the sky (the ecliptic). Wang Ch'ung Culture: Chinese Area of Study: unknown Century:1st Contribution: Wrote "Lun heng", which mentions a "south-controlling spoon" made from lodestone that points south when placed on a polished bronze plate: although this is clearly a compass, it is used only for divination. Discourses wieghed in the balance gives the first known reference to the chain pump, a method of raising water from rivers or lakes. Tsai Lun Culture: Chinese Area of Study: Was a eunuch for the Chinese Emperial system Century:2nd Contribution: Chinese tradition has it that paper is invented by Tsai Lun (though, archaeological evidence suggests that paper is inveted at least 250 years earlier, although used for packing and other purposes, not for writing) Zhang Heng Culture:Chinese Area of Study:astronomy and physical sceince Century:2nd Contribution: Adds a third ring to the armillary, bringing it to its fully develped form. He also combines a water click wit an armillary to produce a device that, somewhat like the modern planetarium, keeps track of where starts are expected to be in the sky. Zhang Heng also invents the first seismograph, a device that indicates the direction of an earthquake by dropping a ball from the mouth of a bronze dragon into the mouth of a bronze frog. Also deveopes the method of using a grid to locate points on a map. Lui Hui Culture:Chinese Area of Study:Mathematics Century:2nd Contribution: Uses polygons of up to 3072 sidest o caluculate pi to 3.14159. He also developes the method of aproximation known as Horner's method, it was later rediscovered by W.G. Horner in 1819 Tsu Ch'ung-Chih and Tsu Keng-Chih (father and Son) Culture:Chinese Area of Study:Mathematics Century:5 Contribution: Calculated pi as 3.1415929203 using a circle 3m (10 ft) across (the correct value to the same number of decimal places is 3.1415926535) Chen Ch'uan Culture:Chinese Area of Study or Profession:Physician Century:7 Contribution: He is the first person to have noted the symptoms of diabetes mellitus, including thirst and sweet urine. Li Ch'un Culture:Chinese Area of Study:Architechture Century:7 Contribution: Builds the Great Stone Bridge over the Chiao Shui Tiver in China; it is the first example of a segmental arch bridge and it survives intact today. I-Xing Culture:Chinese Area of Study: technology Century: 8 Contribution: He and a Chinese engineer Liang Ling-Zan build a water clock that has and escapement, the device that causes a click to tick; the click work was used to power various astronomical devices rather than to indicate the hour. Liang Ling-Zan Culture:Chinese Area of Study: technology Century: 8 Contribution: He and a Buddhist monk I-Xing builds a water clock that has and escapement, the device that causes a click to tick; the click work was used to power various astronomical devices rather than to indicate the hour. Ch'iao Wei-Yo Culture: Chinese Area of Study:Technology Century:10 Contribution: He was concerned about the amount of stealing taking place as boats are hauled over spillways, invents the lick for canals; previously, boats frequently broke up ast hey were being hauled; people waiting for just sucj a moment would dash into the wreckage and stealas mcuh cargo as possible. Shen Kua Culture:Chinese Area of Study: Physical Science Century:11 Contribution: His "Dream pool" essays of 1086 outlines the principles of erosion, uplift, and sedimentation that are the foundation of earth science. Also in these essays contains the first known reference to the use of a compass for navigation. Su Sung Culture: Chinese Area of Study:Technology Century:11 Contribution: Builds a giant water clock and mechanical armillary sphere in 1092; it is considered the finest mechanical achievement of the time. Tseng Kung-Liang Culture: Chinese Area of Study: Technology Century:11 Contribution: His book "Wu ching tsung yao ( Compendium of important military techniques) describes magnetized iron "fish that float in water and can be used ofr finding south; about this time the Chinese begin to use the compass for navigation, most likely using the iron "fish." Jia Xien Culture:Chinese Area of Study:Mathematics Century:12 Contribution: States the method of forming the Pascal triangle; the triangle was probobly known before this time. Ch'in Chiu-Shao Culture: Chinese Area of Study: Mathematic Century: 13 Contribution: He wrote Mathematical Treatise in nine sections treats equations of a degree higher than the third. Kuo Shou-Ching Culture: Chinese Area of Study: Astronomy Century:13 Contribution: Builds the "simplified instrument,' the first known astronomical device to use an equatorial mounting; it if torquitum, an Arab improvement on the armillary sphere. Zhou Kung Culture: Chinese Area of Study: Astronomy Century: 13 Contribution: Sets up a 12-meter (40ft) gnomon for measuring the sun's shadow. Wan Hu Culture: Chinese Area of Study: Technology Century: 16 Contribution: He ties 47 gunpowder rockets to the back of a chair about this time (1500) in an effort to build a flying machine; the device explodes during testing, Killing Wan, who acted as pilot. John Playfair Culture:Turkish Area of Study:Mathematics Century:5 Contribution: Discovered a postulate, equivilent to Euclid's fifth postulate, named after a nineteenth-century rediscovered by John Playfair, is discovered by Greek Mathematician Proclus; it states that through a given point only one line parallel to a given line can be drawn. Arybhata I Culture:Indian Area of Study:Astronomy and mathematics Century:5 Contribution: recaluculates Greek measurements of the solar system; although he mostly accepts Ptolomy's scheme of the univers, he also puts forward the idea that the Earth rotates. Also includes a good value of 3.1416 for the ration of a circle's circumference to its diameter, uses the decimal, place-value numeration system, and supplies a variety of rules for algebra and trigonometry, not all of then correct. Brahmagupta Culture: India Area of Study:Mathematics Century:7 Contribution: He wrote Brahmasphuta siddhanta; it concerns mensuration, trigonometry, and algebra, including excellent work on diophantine equations; Brahmagupta also used negative numbers. Abu'l Wefa b Culture: India Area of Study:Mathematics Century:10 Contribution: He introduces the tangent ratio to Arabic mathematics and further developes spherical trigonometry, basing his work more on Indian trigonometry than on Greek. MIDDLE EAST ASIAN Galen of Pergamum Culture:Turkish Area of Study:medicine Century:2nd Contribution: become the fist to use the pulse as a diagnostic aid and compiles in his writings all medical knowledge that exists at the time in one systematic treatment; this compilation will be used until the end of the Middle Ages. Muhammed ibn Musa Al-Khowarizmi Culture: Arabian Area of Study: Mathematics Century:8 Contribution: His works, when translated, intoduce Hindu-Arabic notation to Europe; from one comes the origin of the word algebra; Al-Khowarizmi's own name is the source of the words algorism and algorithm. Ar-razo (Rhazes) Culture: Arabian Area of Study: Physical Science Century:late 9 and early 10 Contribution: Rhazes is the first to classify chemical substances into mineral, vegetable, animal, and derivative; he further classifies minerals into metals, spirits, salts, and stones; and describes how to make plaster of Paris and metallic antimony. Abu al fadl Ja'far ibn al-Muqtaff Culture: Arabian Area of Study:astronomy Century:9 Contribution: He was the first Arab known to record sunspots. Albategnius (Arabic: Abu-'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Jabir Al-Battani Culture: Arabian Area of Study:Astronomy Century:9 Contribution: He refines Ptolemy's work by making more careful measurements and introduces the use of trigonometry to Arabic astronomy. He also calculates the length of the year; he also determines more accurately than his predecessors the precession of the equinoxes. Al-Howarizmi Culture: Arabian Area of Study: Mathematics Century:9 Contribution: Wrote "De numero indorum" which gives a set of rules for computing with Hindu-Arabic numerals. He also wrote "AL-jabr wa'l muqabalah, known in the West as Algebra, givs methods for solving all equations of the first and second degree with positive roots. Thabit ibn Qurra b Harran Culture: Arabian Area of Study: Mathematics Century:9 Contribution: He translate Greek works and tries to solve the problem of Euclid's fifth postulate. Abu 'Ali Al-Hasan ibn Al-Haytham Culture: Arabian Area of Study: Physicist Century:11 Contribution: Known as ALhazen, he correctly explains how lenses work and develops parabolic mirrors, like those used in todays reflecting telescopes. Ibn Yunus Culture: Arabain Area of Study: Astronomy Century:11 Contribution: Wrote " The largest astronomical tables of al-Hakim, which contains an accurate astronomical and mathematical tables based ont eh obsecations of the past 200 years; the tables are used in later Arab astronomy. Aby 'l Fath Al-Chuzini Culture: Arabian Area of Study:Physical Science Century:12 Contribution: Writes a book on the history of science; it includes tables of specific densities and a general formulation of the laws of gravity. Omar Khayyam Culture: Persian Area of Study:Mathematics Century:12 Contribution: Becomes the first to solve somet types of equations with a degree of three, also known as cubics. Qutb al-Din al Shirazi Culture: Arabian Area of Study: Astronomy Century: 13 Contribution: His "Niyat al-idrak fi dirayat at-aflak," contains an alternative planetary model to that of Ptolemy, making more use of uniform circular motions.