Adriaan Anthonisz

Statue of Adriaen Anthonisz by John Bier

Adriaan Anthonisz (also known as Adriaen Anthonisz of Alcmaer) (1541–1620) was a Dutch mathematician, surveyor, cartographer, and military engineer who specialized in the design of fortifications. From 1582, he also served as burgomaster (mayor) of Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Career

In 1585 Anthonisz discovered that the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, later called pi, approximated the fractional value of 355/113. His son Adriaan Metius later published his father's results, and the value 355/113 is traditionally referred to as Metius' number'.[1]

He is regarded as one of the first military engineers to apply the principles of the Dutch fortification system.[2]

Some of his professional accomplishments included mapping the Berger lake and expanding and fortifying Naarden and Muiden.[3]

Family

Adriaan fathered two sons, and named them both Metius (from the Dutch word meten, meaning 'measuring', 'measurer', or surveyor). They each became prominent members of society.

Adriaan Metius (9 Dec 1571–6 Sep 1635) was a Dutch geometer and astronomer. Jacob Metius worked as an instrument-maker and a specialist in grinding lenses and is often credited as the inventor of the telescope.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 1, 2005. Retrieved August 30, 2005.
  2. ↑ Koster, Fortificate – Ideaal en Werkelijkheid (PDF), Dissertations.ub.rug.nl, pp. 217–218
  3. ↑ "The Galileo Project". Rice University. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Non-Existent Domain". onthisday.org. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
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