Gerald James Toomer (born 23 November 1934) is a

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

who has written numerous books and papers on ancient Greek and medieval Islamic astronomy. In particular, he translated

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

's ''

Almagest The ''Almagest'' is a 2nd-century Greek-language mathematical and astronomical treatise on the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths, written by Claudius Ptolemy ( ). One of the most influential scientific texts in history, it canoni ...

'' into English. Formerly a fellow of Corpus Christi College,

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, he moved to

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

as a special student in 1959 to study "the history of mathematics in antiquity and the transmission of these systems through Arabic into medieval Europe." He joined the History of Mathematics department in 1963, became an associate professor in 1965, and was the chairman from 1980 to 1986..

Some works

* Diocles: ''On Burning Mirrors. The Arabic Translation of the Lost Greek Original.'' ed., with English translation and commentary by G. J. Toomer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York 1976 (Sources in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, 1). . * Apollonius: ''Conics, books V to VII.'' The Arabic translation of the lost Greek original in the version of the Banū Mūsā. In two volumes. Ed. with transl. and commentary by G. J. Toomer. Springer, New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer (Sources in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, 9). . * "Lost Greek mathematical works in Arabic translation." ''

Mathematical Intelligencer ''The Mathematical Intelligencer'' is a mathematical journal published by Springer Verlag that aims at a conversational and scholarly tone, rather than the technical and specialist tone more common among academic journals. Volumes are released quar ...

'', volume 6, 1984, pages 32–38. * ''Ptolemy's Almagest'', translated and annotated by G. J. Toomer. Duckworth, London & Springer, New York 1984. . Revised edn. Univ. Pr., Princeton, 1998, . * ''

Hipparchus Hipparchus (; el, Ἵππαρχος, ''Hipparkhos''; BC) was a Greek astronomer, geographer, and mathematician. He is considered the founder of trigonometry, but is most famous for his incidental discovery of the precession of the equi ...

and

Babylonian Astronomy Babylonian astronomy was the study or recording of celestial objects during the early history of Mesopotamia. Babylonian astronomy seemed to have focused on a select group of stars and constellations known as Ziqpu stars. These constellations m ...

.'' In: Erle Leichty, Maria de J. Ellis, Pamel Gerardi: ''A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs.'' Philadelphia: Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund, 9, 1988. * ''Eastern Wisedome and Learning. The study of Arabic in 17th century England.'' Oxford University Press 1996. * '' John Selden. A life in scholarship.'' Oxford University Press, 2009.

References

External links

*
History of the History of Mathematics Department
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toomer, Gerald J. Historians of astronomy British historians of mathematics Historians of science 1934 births Living people Writers from Aldershot Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Brown University faculty Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy

Some works

See also

References

External links