Claudius Ptolemaeus

Ptolemy's Life Story

Claudius Ptolemaeus, also known as just Ptolemy, worked and lived in the middle area of the 2nd century AD. We do not know very much about the dates in Ptolemy's life, such as when he was born, but scientists have made an estimate that he died around 168 AD. The few things we learned about his life came from his previous works which could or couldn't have been 100% true. Scientists have come to a conclusion that Ptolemy lived his entire life through his work and spent his time searching for new knowledge. One thing that we do know is that he lived in Alexandria, Egypt. Ptolemy's name was descended from the Greek origin. Therefore, his family must have been Greek. Their Greek family lived in Egypt. One of his theories called "The Ptolemaic View of the Universe" has been used as a guideline for many astronomers throughout history. That theory allowed him to find the positions of the planets very accurately. Through the years, many of Ptolemy's theories and ideas have been modified, yet he is still admired for the great deeds he has done for science.

3 Major Scientific Accomplishments:

There were many things that Ptolemy had accomplished in his life. These are just three of the biggest and most important discoveries. The first accomplishment is called "Geographia". This is a series of 8 books that explain how the continents were arranged. Most of the maps he drew in those books were extremely inaccurate. The second major accomplishment is called "Tetrabiblos". This is a series of only 4 books. The series pretty much talks about the effects of astronomical cycles on earthly matters. Finally, the last major accomplishment is called "Almagest".  This is a treatise written by Ptolemy. It explains the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths. It has been considered one of the most influential scientific texts ever written.

Bibliography:

1. http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/claudius-ptolemy-526.php
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy
3. http://www.nndb.com/people/035/000029945/
4. http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Ptolemy.html
5. http://www.s9.com/Biography/Claudius-Ptolemaeus
Page edited by Ryan S. I chose to study Ptolemy because he had the idea of a geocentric universe, which fascinates me how someone could believe that the Sun orbits the Earth. I love my cats and playing piano.