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Mathematical Treasure: Trigonometry of Benjamin Bramer
Benjamin Bramer (1588-1652) was a German mathematician, architect and instrument maker, who was the adopted son, student, and eventually brother-in-law of the Swiss mathematician and astronomer Jost Bürgi (1552-1632). Bramer is acknowledged as the inventor of the pantograph, a geometric instrument that can duplicate a given geometric shape to scale. In 1617, he published Trigonometria planorum mechanica, a work explaining and promoting his instruments.
The text begins by explaining how specific instruments work.
Illustrations demonstrate various measuring situations.
The images above are presented courtesy of ETH-Bibliothek Zürich and the work may be viewed in its entirety via e-rara.
Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University), "Mathematical Treasure: Trigonometry of Benjamin Bramer," Convergence (August 2018)
