Qin Jiushao facts for kids
Qin Jiushao (born around 1202, died 1261) was a very smart Chinese person. He was a mathematician, someone who studies weather (a meteorologist), an inventor, a government official (a politician), and a writer. People say he discovered a math method called Horner's method. He also invented special tools called Tianchi basins. These were like rain gauges used to collect information about the weather.
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A Smart Person from China
Qin Jiushao was born in a place called Ziyang, Sichuan in China. But his family was originally from Shandong province. Many people think he was one of the best mathematicians in Chinese history. This is amazing because Qin didn't spend all his life just on math. He was good at many other things. He also worked in many government jobs in different parts of China.
Qin's Big Math Book
In 1247, Qin wrote a famous book called Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections. This book talked about many different math topics. It included ways to solve complex math problems called equations. Some of these equations were very difficult! The book also had ideas about military matters and how to measure land.
In his book, Qin shared a way to solve a math puzzle called the Chinese remainder theorem. He used special steps, or algorithms, to figure it out. In geometry, which is the study of shapes, he found a way to figure out the size of a triangle. This way is called "Qin Jiushao's formula." It's the same as Heron's formula, which was found much earlier by Heron of Alexandria.
Weather Tools and Discoveries
Measuring rain was very important for farming and growing food. So, Qin created tools to measure how much rain fell. These tools were used a lot in 1247 during the time of the Mongol Empire and the Southern Song dynasty. Qin later wrote about how these rain measurements were used in his math book.
His book also talks about big tools made from bamboo. These were used to measure snow in mountains. This might be the first time anyone wrote about measuring snow!
Qin also wrote down how Chinese calendar experts figured out information about the stars. They did this based on the timing of the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. He also helped introduce the idea of the zero symbol into Chinese math writing. He found ways to solve certain types of math problems using a special method. This method is similar to Horner's method, which was discovered much later.
Life as a Government Official
After he finished his important math work, Qin Jiushao started working in politics. As a government official, he faced challenges in his career. He was sometimes removed from his positions. But even with these problems, he managed to become very wealthy.
Main Work
- Shushu Jiuzhang (Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections) (1248)
See also
In Spanish: Qin Jiushao para niños
