John Of Tynemouth (geometer)

John of Tynemouth was a 13th-century mathematician and geometer.

Little is known of John's background, but he authored ''De curvis superficiebus'' or ''Liber de curvis superficiebus Archimenidis'', a tract about Archimedes' measurements of spheres. This is an important work in the history of medieval geometry, as it helped transmit Archimedes' ideas to other medieval scholars. The work itself follows closely Archimedes' own reasoning, but with enough differences to lead modern historians to believe that John's work was dependent on a Greek text from late antiquity.Knorr "Tynemouth, John of (fl. early 13th cent.) also including John of Tynemouth (d. 1221)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''

''De curvis'' survives in over 12 manuscripts, and was used by a number of other medieval scholars, including Robert Grosseteste, Jordanus de Nemore, Gerard of Brussels, and Roger Bacon.

Certain stylistic choices in ''De curvis'' suggest that John was also responsible for a number of other works:

* ''De circulo quadrando'', a revision of another of Archimedes' works, the ''De quadratura circuli'', which is now in Florence at the Biblioteca Nazionale;
* ''De quadratura circuli'';
* ''De figuris isoperimetris'', now in Oxford University's Bodleian Library as manuscript Digby 174;
* a paraphrase of Euclid's ''Elementa'' from the translation of Adelard of Bath, later cited by Roger Bacon;
* ''Quaelibet media proportionalia''.

Knorr writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography considers that John of Tynemouth (geometer) may be the same person as John of Tynemouth (canon lawyer). Knorr regards this as possible, but unlikely.

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{{short description, 13th-century English mathematician

13th-century writers in Latin
13th-century English mathematicians
British geometers
Medieval geometers