Hero of Alexandria

Heron of Alexandria
Heron of Alexandria
Ἥρων
	17th-century German depiction of Heron
Citizenship	Alexandria, Roman Egypt
Known for	Aeolipile ; Heron's fountain ; Heron's formula ; Vending machine
	Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics ; Physics ; Pneumatic and hydraulic engineering

Hero of Alexandria (/ˈhɪəroʊ/; Greek: Ἥρων^[1] ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Hērōn hò Alexandreús, also known as Heron of Alexandria /ˈhɛrən/; fl. 60 AD) was a Greek mathematician and engineer who was active in Alexandria in Egypt during the Roman era. He has been described as the greatest experimentalist of antiquity^[2] and his work is representative of the Hellenistic scientific tradition.^[3]

Hero published a well-recognized description of a steam-powered device called an aeolipile (sometimes called a "Hero engine"). Among his most famous inventions was a windwheel, constituting the earliest instance of wind harnessing on land.^[4]^[5] He is said to have been a follower of the atomists. In his work Mechanics, he described pantographs.^[6] Some of his ideas were derived from the works of Ctesibius.

In mathematics he is mostly remembered for Heron's formula, a way to calculate the area of a triangle using only the lengths of its sides.

Much of Hero's original writings and designs have been lost, but some of his works were preserved including in manuscripts from the Eastern Roman Empire and to a lesser extent, in Latin or Arabic translations.

^ Genitive: Ἥρωνος.
^ Abbott, David, ed. (1986) [1985]. "Hero of Alexandria". The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists. New York: Peter Bedrick Books. p. 81. Hero of Alexandria lived c. AD 60, variously described as an Egyptian scientist and a Greek engineer, was the greatest experimentalist of antiquity.
^ Marie Boas, "Hero's Pneumatica: A Study of Its Transmission and Influence", Isis, Vol. 40, No. 1 (Feb., 1949), p. 38 and supra
^ Cite error: The named reference Drachmann was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Lohrmann 10f. was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Ceccarelli, Marco (2007). Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science: Their Contributions and Legacies. Springer. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-4020-6366-4.

[1] Genitive: Ἥρωνος.

[2] Abbott, David, ed. (1986) [1985]. "Hero of Alexandria". The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists. New York: Peter Bedrick Books. p. 81. Hero of Alexandria lived c. AD 60, variously described as an Egyptian scientist and a Greek engineer, was the greatest experimentalist of antiquity.

[3] Marie Boas, "Hero's Pneumatica: A Study of Its Transmission and Influence", Isis, Vol. 40, No. 1 (Feb., 1949), p. 38 and supra

[Drachmann-4] Cite error: The named reference Drachmann was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Lohrmann_10f.-5] Cite error: The named reference Lohrmann 10f. was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[6] Ceccarelli, Marco (2007). Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science: Their Contributions and Legacies. Springer. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-4020-6366-4.

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