Mathematical Treasure: Francesco Maurolico’s Opuscula mathematica

The Opuscula mathematica : nunc primum in lucem edita, cum rerum omnium notatu dignarum indice locupletissimo of 1575 pulled together eight treatises by Francesco Maurolico (1494–1575). Maurolico was an Italian cleric who wrote important books on Greek mathematics. He also worked on geometry, the theory of numbers, optics, conics and mechanics. The Opuscula contained notable research on the theory of numbers, polynomials, and the first clear statement on the principle of mathematical induction.

One of Maurolico’s most important contributions to ancient mathematics, his reconstruction of Books V and VI in Apollonius’ Conics, was not published until 1654.

The University of Utah has digitized its copy of Opuscula mathematica. Messanensis, emendatio, et restitutio conicorum Apollonij Pergaei is available from GoogleBooks.

Index to Mathematical Treasures