Jan Brożek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jan Brożek
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Jan Brożek
Kurzelów, Poland
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| Died | 21 November 1652 (aged 67) Bronowice Małe, Poland
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| Education | Kraków Academy |
| Known for | Research on perfect numbers and geometry honeycomb conjecture |
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| Institutions | Kraków Academy |
Jan Brożek (born November 1585 – died 21 November 1652) was a very important Polish mathematician of his time. He was also one of the first people to write about the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Brożek worked for the Catholic Church and spent his whole career connected to the Kraków Academy.
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Life of Jan Brożek
Jan Brożek was born in Kurzelów, a small village in Poland. His father, Jakub, was a well-educated landowner who taught Jan about geometry from a young age. Jan went to school in Kurzelów and then continued his studies in Krakow.
Education and Early Career
In 1604, Jan Brożek joined the Kraków Academy, which is now called Jagiellonian University. He earned his first degree there in 1605. By 1610, he had earned a higher degree, similar to a doctorate today. His studies were greatly helped by his connection with a Belgian mathematician named Adriaan van Roomen.
In 1614, Brożek became a professor of astrology at the Kraków Academy. He also became very good at surveying land. Between 1616 and 1620, he measured the borders of Krakow’s bishopric and helped make maps for church properties.
Studying Medicine in Italy
In 1620, Brożek traveled to Padua, Italy to study medicine. He earned his medical degree in 1623. While in Padua, he became friends with Giovanni Camillo Glorioso. Glorioso had taken over the mathematics professor role from Galileo Galilei at the university. After returning to Poland, Brożek worked as a doctor for the bishop of Krakow until 1625.
Working for the University
Around this time, Brożek became involved in a long argument between the Jesuits and the university. He strongly supported the university's desire to stay independent from the Jesuits. In 1625, he wrote a pamphlet called Gratis that criticized the Jesuits. The person who printed the pamphlet was punished, but Brożek avoided serious trouble because of his strong ties to the university. From 1627 to 1635, he wrote reports and traveled many times to Warsaw. He worked hard to protect the university's rights and independence.
In 1629, Brożek became a priest. From 1632 to 1638, he worked as a keeper at the university library. In 1639, he gave his large personal library to the university. He also gave a lot of money to buy more books and scientific tools. Soon after, he left his teaching job and moved away. However, in 1648, Brożek returned to Krakow University and continued his studies in theology. He earned a doctorate in theology in 1650.
Besides his university jobs, Brożek also held several positions in the church. He received money from different churches in Krakow. Later, he became a canon at the Wawel Cathedral, which was a very important and well-paying job.
Final Years and Legacy
In 1652, Brożek was chosen to be the rector (head) of the university, a very respected position. But he only served for a short time. That same year, a terrible plague hit Krakow, and Brożek died on November 21, 1652.
Brożek left his large collection of books and scientific tools to the university. His library had about 400 science books and 300 books on other subjects. Many of these books are still around today. He also gave at least 36 scientific tools to the school. These included surveying tools, drawing tools, astronomy devices, and clocks. Only three of these tools are still at the university, including a special mechanical model of the solar system called the Globus Jagellonicus.
One of the buildings at the Jagiellonian University, the Collegium Broscianum, is named in his honor.
What Jan Brożek Studied
Jan Brożek was a brilliant scholar who studied many different fields. He made important contributions to mathematics and also helped us learn more about Nicolaus Copernicus.
Mathematics and Science
Brożek was the most important Polish mathematician of the 17th century. He studied the theory of numbers, especially perfect numbers. He also worked on geometry. While studying perfect numbers, he discovered ideas that were later part of Fermat's little theorem.
He also studied medicine, theology, and geodesy (the science of measuring the Earth). One interesting problem he looked at was why bees build hexagonal honeycombs. He showed that this shape is the best way for bees to use wax and store honey. This idea is now known as the honeycomb conjecture.
Biography and History
Jan Brożek helped us understand more about Nicolaus Copernicus' ideas. He was a strong supporter of Copernicus and planned to write his biography. Around 1618, he visited a church chapter and took some of Copernicus' letters and documents. He planned to publish them, but he never did. He also helped improve a short biography of Copernicus written by Simon Starowolski. Sadly, after Brożek's death, his collection of Copernicus' papers was lost. This means some of Copernicus' unpublished work might have been lost because of this.
Brożek also wrote a biography of Stanisław Grzepski, another Polish mathematician and language expert from the 1500s. He also wanted to write a history of the Kraków Academy, but only small parts of his writings have been found.
Works by Jan Brożek
Jan Brożek wrote more than thirty books and papers. All of them were written in Latin. Like many scholars of his time, he used a Latin version of his name, Johannes Broscius, when he published his works. Some of his notable works include:
- Geodesia distantiarum (1610) – About measuring distances.
- Dissertatio astronomica (1616) – An astronomy paper.
- Arithmetica integrorum (1620) – About whole numbers.
- De numeris perfectis disceptatio (1637) – About perfect numbers.
- Peripatheticus Cracoviensis (1647) – A philosophical work.
- Discurs Ziemianina z Plebanem (Discourse between the Squire and the Vicar, 1625) – A series of pamphlets.
See also
- List of Polish astronomers
- List of Polish mathematicians
- Perfect numbers
- Honeycomb conjecture
- Physician writers
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
