Mathematician:Conon of Samos

Mathematician

Greek astronomer and mathematician.

Noted for naming the constellation Coma Berenices.

According to Pappus, the discoverer of the spiral of Archimedes.

According to Apollonius of Perga, Conon worked on conic sections, and his work became the basis for Apollonius' fourth volume of the Conics.

One of the few close friends of Archimedes of Syracuse.

Nationality

Greek

History

• Born: c. 280 BCE in Samos
• Died: c. 220 BCE in (possibly) Alexandria, Egypt

Writings

• De Astrologia (7 volumes) (now lost)
• Pros Thrasydaion (on conic sections: now lost)
• A major work on astronomy (now lost)

Sources

• John J. O'Connor and Edmund F. Robertson: "Conon of Samos": MacTutor History of Mathematics archive

• 1937: Eric Temple Bell: Men of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text{II}$: Modern Minds in Ancient Bodies
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Conon of Samos (fl. 245 bc)
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Conon of Samos (fl. 245 bc)