Giovanni Ceva

Giovanni Ceva

Giovanni Ceva (December 7, 1647–June 15, 1734) was an Italian mathematician widely known for proving Ceva's theorem in elementary geometry. His brother, Tommaso Ceva was also a well known poet and mathematician.

Ceva received his education at a Jesuit college in Milan. Later in his life, he studied at the University of Pisa, where he subsequently became a professor. In 1686, however, he was designated as the Professor of Mathematics at the University of Mantua and worked there for the rest of his life.

Ceva studied geometry for most of his long life. In 1678, he published a now famous theorem on synthetic geometry in a triangle called Ceva’s Theorem. The theorem states that if you have three line segments drawn from the vertices of a triangle to the opposite side, then the three line segments are concurrent if, and only if, the product of the ratios of the newly created line segments on each side of the triangle is one. He published this new theorem in "De lineis rectis".

Ceva not only published his own theorem, but he also rediscovered and published Menelaus's theorem. He published" Opuscula mathematica" in 1682 and "Geometria Motus" in 1692, as well. In "Geometria Motus", he anticipated the infinitesimal calculus. Finally, Ceva wrote "De Re Nummeraria" in 1711, which was one of the first books in mathematical economics.

Giovanni Ceva also studied applications of mechanics and statics to geometric systems. At one point, however, he incorrectly resolved that the periods of oscillation of two pendulums were in the same ratio as their lengths, but he later realized and corrected the error. Ceva also worked on hydraulics. In 1728, he published "Opus hydrostaticum" which discusses his work in hydraulics. In fact, he used his knowledge of hydraulics to stop a project from diverting the river Reno into the river Po.

References

* "Ceva, Giovanni." MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. 2006. O'Connor, John J., and Edmund F. Robertson. http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Ceva_Giovanni.html
* "Ceva, Giovanni." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002192.


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  • Giovanni Ceva — (* 7. Dezember 1647 in Mailand; † 15. Juni 1734 in Mantua) war ein italienischer Mathematiker. Nach dem Besuch der jesuitischen Hochschule in Mailand und einem Studium der Mathematik an der Universität Pisa arbeitete er ab 1686 in Mantua als… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Giovanni Ceva — (Milán, 7 de diciembre de 1648 Mantua, 15 de junio de 1734) fue un matemático italiano. Es conocido por el importante teorema de geometría del triángulo que descubrió y que lleva su nombre, el teorema de Ceva. Su hermano, Tommaso Ceva, era un… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Giovanni Ceva — (Milán, 1648 Mantua, 1734) Matemático italiano. Profesor de matemática y también ingeniero dedicado a la construcción de obras hidráulicas, está considerado como el primer matemático que abordó los temas económicos desde esta disciplina, lo que… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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  • Ceva, Tommaso — ▪ Italian mathematician and poet born December 20, 1648, Milan [Italy] died February 3, 1737, Milan       Jesuit mathematician and poet, who was the younger brother of Giovanni Ceva (Ceva, Giovanni).       In 1663 Tommaso Ceva entered the Society …   Universalium

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  • Ceva (homonymie) — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Patronymie Giovanni Ceva (7 décembre 1647 – 15 juin 1734) était un mathématicien italien. Tommaso Ceva (20 décembre 1648 – 3 février 1737) était un… …   Wikipédia en Français

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