Marino Ghetaldi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marino Ghetaldi
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| Born | 2 October 1568 Dubrovnik, Republic of Ragusa (modern Croatia) |
| Died | 11 April 1626 (aged 57) Dubrovnik, Republic of Ragusa (modern Croatia) |
| Occupation | mathematician, physicist, |
Marino Ghetaldi (Latin: Marinus Ghetaldus; Croatian: Marin Getaldić; 2 October 1568 – 11 April 1626) was an amazing scientist from the Republic of Ragusa. This was a city-state that is now part of Croatia. He was a brilliant mathematician and physicist. Marino studied in places like Italy, England, and Belgium. He made important discoveries, especially in physics, focusing on optics (the study of light), and in mathematics. He was also a student of the famous mathematician François Viète.
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Who Was Marino Ghetaldi?
Marino Ghetaldi was born into the noble Ghetaldi family in Dubrovnik. He was one of six children. He became famous for using algebra to solve problems in geometry. Algebra uses letters and symbols to represent numbers. Geometry is the study of shapes and spaces.
He also did a lot of research on how light behaves, which is called geometrical optics. He wrote seven books about this topic. Two of his important works were Promotus Archimedus (published in 1603) and De resolutione et compositione mathematica (published in 1630). In 1607, he also published a small book with solutions to 42 geometry problems. This book was called Variorum problematum colletio.
Marino Ghetaldi helped connect algebra and geometry. His work was so important that other famous scientists mentioned it. These included the Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens and Edmond Halley. Halley was an English scientist who calculated the orbit of Halley's Comet.
Amazing Discoveries and Friendships
Ghetaldi built a special parabolic mirror. This mirror was 66 centimeters (about 26 inches) wide. You can still see it today at the National Maritime Museum in London. He was also one of the first people to make special conic lenses.
While he was studying in Padua, Italy, he met Galileo Galilei. Galileo was a very famous Italian astronomer and physicist. Marino and Galileo wrote letters to each other often. Marino was also good friends with the French mathematician François Viète.
He was even offered a job as a professor of mathematics. This job was at the Old University of Leuven in Belgium. At that time, Leuven was one of the most respected university centers in Europe.
Life in Politics
Besides his scientific work, Marino Ghetaldi was also involved in politics. In 1606, he was sent as an envoy (a special representative) from the Republic of Ragusa to Constantinople. Constantinople is now called Istanbul.
He was also a member of the Great Council and the Small Council. These were important political groups in the Republic of Ragusa. Marino was married to Marija Sorkočević. Sadly, she passed away while giving birth to their third daughter. They had three daughters: Anica, Franica, and Marija.
What He Left Behind
Two places in Dubrovnik are still connected to Marino Ghetaldi. One is called Bete's Cave. This cave was named after Marino's nickname, "Bete." He used this cave to do experiments with mirrors that could focus sunlight and start fires.
The other place is Pozvizd. This was a very important tower in the Ston fortification system. In 1604, the leaders of the Republic of Dubrovnik asked Marino to help build it.
See also
- House of Getaldić
- List of notable Ragusans
