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Ibn al-Haytham |
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Ibn al-Haytham (ĭb`ən äl-hīth-äm`) or Alhazen (ălhəzĕn`), 965–c.1040, Arab mathematician. Ibn al-Haytham was born in Basra, Persia, but made his career in Cairo, where he supported himself copying scientific manuscripts. Among his original works, only those on optics, astronomy, and mathematics survive. His Optics, which relied on experiment rather than on past authority, introduced the idea that light rays emanate in straight lines in all directions from every point on a luminous surface. Latin editions of the Optics, available from the 13th cent. on, influenced Kepler and Descartes. As a cosmologist, al-Haytham tried to find mechanisms by which the heavenly bodies might be shown to follow the paths determined by Ptolemaic mathematics. In mathematics, al-Haytham elucidated and extended Euclid's Elements and suggested a proof of the parallel postulate. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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The section on supplementary arguments" is for the most part an extension of the section on geometrical arguments, and contains some interesting references to Ibn Sina, Euclid and Ibn al-Haytham. Ibn Sina also puts forward a new theory developed by optics specialist Ibn al-Haytham. A small "standing inspector presence"--consisting of a team of four experts: two Russian and two American--had been established at the Ibn Al-Haytham missile research and development centre, located north of Baghdad, in order to assess and monitor research activities undertaken there. |
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