Luca Valerio (1553–1618) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
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 ...
. He developed ways to find
volume
Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). Th ...
s and
centers of gravity of solid
bodies
Bodies may refer to:
* The plural of body
* ''Bodies'' (2004 TV series), BBC television programme
* Bodies (upcoming TV series), an upcoming British crime thriller limited series
* "Bodies" (''Law & Order''), 2003 episode of ''Law & Order''
* ...
using the methods of
Archimedes. He corresponded with
Galileo Galilei
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...
and was a member of the
Accademia dei Lincei.
Biography
Luca Valerio was born in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
in 1553 He entered in the
Jesuit order
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
in 1570. He studied
philosophy and
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at the
Roman College
The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...
as a student of
Christopher Clavius
Christopher Clavius, SJ (25 March 1538 – 6 February 1612) was a Jesuit German mathematician, head of mathematicians at the Collegio Romano, and astronomer who was a member of the Vatican commission that accepted the proposed calendar inve ...
, and left the Jesuits in 1580. He later taught
rhetoric and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
at the
Collegio Pontifico Greco and mathematics and ethics at the
Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...
. In 1611 Valerio obtained a position in the
Vatican library
The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...
in addition to his post at Sapienza giving him close connection with the top people in the
Roman Catholic church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Galileo and Copernicus
Valerio met Galileo on a visit to
Pisa in 1584. He corresponded with Galileo from 1609 until 1616 and in 1612 he became a member of the
Accademia dei Lincei, a group which also included Galileo as a member. On March 5, 1616
Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, chief theologian of the Roman Catholic Church, issued a
decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...
that the idea of a Sun centered
Solar System
The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...
, the
Copernican system, a theory supported by Galileo, was ''false and erroneous''. The prospect of being called before the
Inquisition
The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...
caused Valerio to end all correspondence with Galileo and resign from the ''Accademia dei Lincei''. The members of the Academy looked on Valerio's actions as aligning himself with Galileo's opponents and accusing the Academy itself of committing a crime. His resignation was rejected by the Accademia, but they took away his right to participate in Accademia meetings.
Federico Cesi
Federico Angelo Cesi (; 26 February 1585 – 1 August 1630) was an Italian scientist, naturalist, and founder of the Accademia dei Lincei. On his father's death in 1630, he became briefly lord of Acquasparta.
Biography
Federico Cesi was ...
, the Accademia dei Lincei's founder, still hoped however that Valerio could re-enter in the ranks of the academics, but the mathematician died in January 1618.
«Among the mathematicians who studied him and spoke highly of him were
Cavalieri,
Torricelli and
J.-C. de la Faille. He also had a direct influence on
Guldin,
Gregorius Saint Vincent, and
Tacquet.»
[Per Strømholm, Biography in ''Dictionary of Scientific Biography'' (New York 1970-1990).]
Works
''Subtilium indagationum liber primus seu quadratura circuli et aliorum curvilineorum'' 1582
* ''De centro gravitatis solidorum libri tres'', Rome 1604—Includes applying general methods to find volumes and centers of gravity of solid bodies.
** On line:
the 1661 edition''Quadratura parabolae per simplex falsum'' Rome 1606
Notes and references
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Valerio, Luca
16th-century Italian mathematicians
17th-century Italian mathematicians
Former Jesuits
1552 births
1618 deaths
16th-century Italian Jesuits
Jesuit scientists
Members of the Lincean Academy