Hero of Alexandria
Hero of Alexandria (c.10-c.70 CE), or Heron of Alexandria, was a Greek-Egyptian polymath whose inventions were as practical as they were theatrical. He was a mathematician, engineer, and early robotics enthusiast.
When most people think of ancient mathematicians, they think of Pythagoras fiddling with triangles or Euclid boring everyone with geometry books. You probably don’t imagine a man in a toga fiddling around with pipes and hydraulics.
Early life
Not much is known about Hero’s early life, which isn’t surprising considering he was born about two thousand years ago. What is known, however, is that he was a playful, show-offy boy with a ton of curiosity. And in case you didn’t get the gist, he was born in Alexandria, Egypt, which was basically Silicon Valley back in the day. So, a pretty good foundation for our mathematical Hero.
Later life and achievements
Hero didn’t die poor or obscure. He invented the Aeolipile, the original steam engine, a simple but ingenious device in which a metal sphere was spun by steam jets. He also created pneumatic devices and automated temple doors, as well as creating automatic fountains and doors by using water, air, and ingenious mechanics.
In mathematics, Hero’s Formula is a way to determine a triangle’s area based solely on the lengths of its sides. To calculate a triangle’s area using Hero’s Formula, the semi-perimeter ‘s’ needs to be found, half the sum of the side lengths. By Hero’s Formula, Area = √s(s – a)(s – b)(s – c), where a, b, and c are the different side lengths.
Hero of Alexandria was more than a mathematician or engineer. He was a pioneer who dabbled with science and spectacle. From the first steam engine to automated doors, he proved that curiosity, creativity, and some good old maths is all it takes to become a hero.