Mathematical Treasure: Evangelista Torricelli's Academic Lectures

The 17^th-century Italian mathematician and supporter of Galileo, Evangelista Torricelli, published only one book during his lifetime, Opera Geometria. The picture below is the title page of Lezione Accademiche d’Evangelista Torricelli or Academic Lectures of Evangelista Torricelli. This work (Linda Hall Library call number Q155.T69 1715) was published posthumously in 1715. It contains 12 lectures in Italian that Torricelli gave at various places, which were collected and published by Tommaso Bonaventuri. According to the Dictionary of Scientific Biography, most of the lectures were on physics, but one is “in praise of mathematics.”

Below is a picture of the title page.

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The frontispiece contains a portrait of Torricelli.

For more on Torricelli’s Academic Lectures, visit the Convergence pages “Mathematical Treasure: Academic Lectures by Torricelli” and “Mathematical Treasure: Torricelli’s Academic Lectures,” both by Frank J. Swetz.

Images in this article are courtesy of the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology and used with permission. The images may be downloaded and used for the purposes of research, teaching, and private study, provided the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology is credited as the source. For other uses, check out the LHL Image Rights and Reproductions policy.

References

Gliozzi, Mario. “Torricelli, Evangelista.” In Dictionary of Scientific Biography, edited by C. C. Gillespie, xiii:433–440. New York: Scribner, 1972.

O'Connor, J. J., and E. F. Robertson. “Evangelista Torricelli.” MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Torricelli.html.

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