Antonio Maria Lorgna (1735-1796) or Antonio Mario Lorgna (as he signed his works) was a
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
from Italy in the 18th century, founder of the
Accademia nazionale delle scienze.
Life and work
Little is known about the first twenty years of Lorgna's life. He was the son of a cavalry officer of the Venetian army and in 1757 he was in
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
probably following his father in his military duties (Dalmatia was at this time under Venetian rule). The general governor of Dalmatia, Alvise Contarini, knowing his abilities and versatility, appointed him as his secretary and interpreter.
Returned to
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
in 1759, Lorgna became a student at the
University of Padua
The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...
; he didn't graduate, but learned physics, astronomy and mathematics under
Giovanni Poleni
Giovanni Poleni (; 23 August 1683 – 15 November 1761) was a Marquess, physicist, mathematician and antiquarian.
Early life
He was the son of Marquess Jacopo Poleni and studied the classics, philosophy, theology, mathematics, and physics ...
and Giovanni Alberto Colombo. In 1762 he enrolled in the Venetian army and went to
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
for some time, then was appointed professor of mathematics in the military academy for engineers in Castelvecchio in
Verona
Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
. Lorgna worked at the Military College of Castelvecchio for the rest of his career, teaching courses on trigonometry, mechanics, statics for construction, ballistics and hydraulics. From 1784 he was also the general governor of the college, attaining the military rank of
Brigadier
Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
.
Lorgna never married. He died while the French army was occupying Verona. He is best known as the founder in 1782 of the ''Societá Italiana delle Scienze detta dei XL'', now the ''
Accademia nazionale delle scienze'', a leading research Italian institution.
Works
Of 80 works, the following are major ones:
[, MacTutor History of Mathematics.]
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Della graduazione de'termometri a mercurio e della rettificazione de'barometri semplici' (1765)
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De quibusdam maximis, & minimis: dissertatio statico-geometrica' (1766)
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Dissertazione sopra il quesito: essendo le pressioni dell'acqua stagnante in ragione delle altezze...' (1769)
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Opuscula mathematica et physica' (1770)
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Dissertazione sopra il questio rinvenire il fondamento...' (1771)
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Specimen de seriebus convergentibus' (1775)
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De casu irreductibili tertii gradus et seriebus infinitis' (1776)
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Saggi di statica e meccanica applicate alle arti' (1782)
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Principi di geografia astronomico-geometrica' (1789)
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References
Bibliography
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External links
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Web page of Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorgna, Antonio Maria
1735 births
1796 deaths
18th-century Italian mathematicians
Mathematicians from the Republic of Venice