:''Johannes von Gmünd is also the name of a 14th-century architect, see Basel Münster.'' Johannes von Gmunden ( la, Johannes de Gamundia; c. 1380/84 – February 23, 1442) was a German/Austrian

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

, humanist and early instrument maker.

Biography

Johannes von Gmunden received the degree of a Master of Arts at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

in 1406. From 1408, he was a lecturer at Vienna, lecturing on

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...

's ''

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

'' (1408) and '' Meteora'' (1409, 1411),

Peter of Spain __NOTOC__ Peter of Hispania ( la, Petrus Hispanus; Portuguese and es, Pedro Hispano; century) was the author of the ', later known as the ', an important medieval university textbook on Aristotelian logic. As the Latin ''Hispania'' was consider ...

(1410) and ''Algorismus de minutiis'' (1412). He fell seriously ill in 1412. In 1415 and 1416 studied theology, completing a Bachelor of Theology in 1416.Christoph Schöner, ''Mathematik und Astronomie an der Universität Ingolstadt im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert'', Duncker & Humblot, 1994, p. 69. He continued lecturing only in 1419, on ''algorismus de integris''. From 1420, Johannes was permitted to restrict his teaching to the specialized field of the mathematics of astronomy, focusing on

Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Wikt:Εὐκλείδης, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the ''Euclid's Elements, Elements'' trea ...

's '' Elements'' and the ''Sphaera materialis'' of

John Holywood Johannes de Sacrobosco, also written Ioannes de Sacro Bosco, later called John of Holywood or John of Holybush ( 1195 – 1256), was a scholar, monk, and astronomer who taught at the University of Paris. He wrote a short introduction to the Hi ...

. With the aid of students (Weidler's 1741 ''Historia astronomiae'' names

Georg Pruneck Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * G ...

of Ruspach, Georg of Neuenburg, Johannes Schinkel and Johannes Feldner) he compiled voluminous astronomical tables. In 1425, he was elected canon at St. Stephen's Cathedral. Georg von Peuerbach succeeded him at Vienna University in 1450. John's origins are somewhat disputed. He was probably born in

Gmunden Gmunden () is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden (district), Gmunden. It has 13,204 inhabitants (estimates 2016 ). It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of lake, brine, vegetable and pine-c ...

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

, but there were also suggestions connecting him with Gmünd, Lower Austria, or that he was a Swabian from

Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd (, until 1934: Gmünd; Swabian: ''Gmẽẽd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district a ...

who studied in Ulm in his youth, based on a document written at Ulm in 1404 by one "Johannes Wissbier de Gamundia".

Legacy

Asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

15955 Johannesgmunden is named after him.

Works

*'' Astrolabii qui primi mobilis motus deprehendur canones'' (1515)

Notes

References

*John Mundy, ''John of Gmunden'', ''Isis,'' The History of Science Society (1943).

Biography

Legacy

Works

See also

Notes

References

Further reading