Pedro Nunes | |
|---|---|
 Pedro Nunes, 1843 print | |
| Born | 1502 |
| Died | 11 August 1578 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation(s) | Mathematician, cosmographer, and professor |
| Signature | |
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Pedro Nunes (Portuguese: [ˈpeðɾu ˈnunɨʃ]; Latin: Petrus Nonius; 1502 – 11 August 1578)[1] was a Portuguese mathematician, cosmographer, and professor, probably from a New Christian (of Jewish origin) family.[2][3][4]
Considered one of the greatest mathematicians of his time,[5] Nunes is best known for being the first to approach navigation and cartography with mathematical tools. Among other accomplishments, he was the first to propose the idea of a loxodrome (a rhumb line), and was the inventor of several measuring devices, including the nonius (from which the Vernier scale was derived), named after his Latin surname.[6]
- ^ "The Galileo Project".
- ^ Martins, Jorge, Portugal e os Judeus (3 vol.), Nova Vega, Lisboa, 2006, ISBN 972-699-847-6
- ^ Leitão, Henrique, "Para uma biografia de Pedro Nunes: O surgimento de um matemático, 1502-1542", Cadernos de Estudos Sefarditas, 3 (2003) 45-82.
- ^ J J O'Connor (November 2010). "Pedro Nunes Salaciense". Retrieved 2015-11-20.
- ^ Pedro Nunes (1502-1578)
- ^ O'Connor, J. J.; Robertson, E. F. (November 2010). "Biography of Pedro Nunes Salaciense". School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland. Retrieved 2014-04-08.