Purbach, Georg Von

Purbach, Georg Von 

(also Peuerbach, Peurbach). Born May 30, 1423, in Peuerbach, Upper Austria; died Apr. 8, 1461, in Vienna. Austrian astronomer and mathematician.

Purbach became a professor at the University of Vienna circa 1450. He was the author of Theoricae novae planetarum (A New Theory of the Planets), which was long used as a manual of astronomy. He worked on a more precise translation of Ptolemy’s works and on improved astronomical tables. These efforts were continued by his student and follower Regiomon-tanus (Johann Müller). The two collaborated on Epitoma in Al-magestum Ptolemaei (A Summary of Ptolemy’s “Almagest”), which was published in 1496. Purbach’s research on trigonometry and the extensive tables of sines he compiled laid the groundwork for Regiomontanus’ important works in the field.

REFERENCES

Berry, A. Kratkaia istoriia astronomii, 2nd ed. Moscow-Leningrad, 1946. (Translated from English.)
Cantor, M. Vorlesungen über Geschichte der Mathematik, 3rd ed., vol. 2. Leipzig, 1913.