Oronce Finé
| Oronce Finé | |
|---|---|
Oronce Finé
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| Born | 20 December 1494 Briançon, France |
| Died | 8 August 1555 (age 60) Paris, France |
| Residence | France |
| Nationality | French |
| Fields | Cartography, mathematics |
Oronce Finé (or Fine;Latin: Orontius Finnaeus or Finaeus; Italian: Oronzio Fineo; 20 December 1494 – 8 August 1555) was a French mathematician and cartographer.
Born in Briançon, the son and grandson of physicians, he was educated in Paris (Collège de Navarre) and obtained a degree in medicine in 1522.
He was imprisoned in 1524, probably for practicing judicial astrology.
In 1531, he was appointed to the chair of mathematics at the Collège Royal (the present Collège de France), founded by King Francis I, where he taught until his death.
Although primarily a populariser, Finé was one of the most prolific authors of mathematical books of his age. He worked in a wide range of mathematical fields, including practical geometry, arithmetic, optics, gnomonics, astronomy and instrumentalism.
He gave the value of pi (≈ 3.14159) to be 22 2⁄9/7 ≈ 3.1746 in 1544. Later, he gave 47/15 ≈ 3.1333 and, in De rebus mathematicis (1556), he gave 3 11/78 ≈ 3.1410.
In 1542 Finé published De mundi sphaera (On the Heavenly Spheres), a popular astronomy textbook whose woodcut illustrations were much appreciated. His writing on astronomy included guides to the use of astronomical equipment and methods (e.g. the ancient practice of determining longitude through the coordinated observation of lunar eclipses from two fixed points with enough distance between them to make the phenomena appear at different times of the night). He also described more recent innovations, such as an instrument he called a méthéoroscope (an astrolabe modified by adding a compass).
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