- Jan Brożek
Jan Brożek ("Joannes Broscius") (
November 1 ,1585 –November 21 ,1652 ) was a Polishpolymath : amathematician ,physician andastronomer .Biography
Brożek was born in
Kurzelów ,Sandomierz Voivodship . He lived inKraków andMiędzyrzec Podlaski . From 1632 till his death he was aparish Brożek studied at the
Kraków Academy (now known as theJagiellonian University ) and theUniversity of Padua . He served asrector of the Jagiellonian University. He contributed to a greater knowledge ofCopernicus ' theories and was his ardent supporter and first biographer. He was the most prominent Polish mathematician of the 17th century; working on thetheory of numbers (particularlyperfect numbers ) andgeometry . He has also studiedmedicine ,theology andgeodesy .Among the problems he addressed was the question why
bee s createhexagonal honeycomb and proved that it is the most efficient way of using honey and wax.He died at Bronowice, now a district of
Kraków . One of the later buildings of the Jagiellonian University,Collegium Broscianum , is named in his honor.Works
* "Arithmetica integrorum" (1620) - arithmetic textbook
* "Gratis, albo Discurs I Ziemianina z Plebanem ; Przywiley, albo Discurs II Ziemianina z Plebanem ; Consens, albo Discurs III Ziemianina z Plebanem" (1625) - literary dialogue
* "Apologia" - treatyExternal links
* [http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/web/sci_health/math/Brozek/Brozek.html Jan Brożek / Joannes Broscius Mathematician, Historian of Science, University Professor and Benefactor]
* [http://galileo.rice.edu/Catalog/NewFiles/brozek.html Galileo Project entry]
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