Hero of Alexandria
Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria (roughly A.D. 10 to roughly A.D. 70) was a Greek engineer. His most famous invention was the first documented steam engine, the aeolipile. He is said to have been a follower of the Atomists[?]. Some of his ideas were derived from the works of Ctesibius[?].A number of references mention dates around 150 BC, but these are inconsistent with the dates of his publications and inventions. Perhaps this is due to a misinterpretation of the phrase "first century".
Publications
The complete surviving works are:- Pneumatica (Greek, c. A.D. 60)
- Automata (Greek)
- Mechanics (Arabic)
- Metrics (Arabic)
- Dioptra (Arabic)
In optics, Hero proposed that light travels along the shortest geometric path. This view is no longer accepted, having been replaced by least-time principle.
In geometry, he wrote down the formula (Heron's formula) for calculating the area of a triangle in terms of its sides.
Projects
- compressed-air fountain
- siphons
- automated puppets
- machine for threading wooden screws
- steam turbine (A.D. 50/62/70) (aeolipile)
- density of air
- water organ or hydraulic organ
- odometer
References
The Technology Museum of Thessaloniki has a good web page on Hero at http://www.tmth.edu.gr/en/aet/5/55.html.For it was the virtue of the man.html">man.html">man
only, because I had all my life.html">life a personal experience of it, that
glory. No one will ever cherish a nobler ambition or a loftier hope
his eyes. I declare that of all the blessings which either fortune or
Scipio's friendship. In it I found sympathy in public, counsel in
unalloyed delight. Never, to the best of my knowledge, did I
from him I could have wished unsaid. We had one house, one
service, but in our tours also and country sojourns. Why speak of
learning something, on which we spent all our leisure hours far
these things had perished with the man, I could not possibly have
affection. But these things have not perished; they are rather fed
have been entirely bereft of them, still my time of life of itself
now to bear this regret; and everything that is brief ought to be
parting. Make up your minds to this. Virtue (without which
greatest of all things is Friendship.
On Old Age
Of care that wrings your heart, and draw the sting
was addressed by the man,
who, poor in wealth, was rich in honour's.
On
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