Marino Ghetaldi ( lat, Marinus Ghetaldus; hr, Marin Getaldić; 2 October 1568 – 11 April 1626) was a Ragusan scientist. A mathematician and physicist who studied in Italy, England and Belgium, his best results are mainly in physics, especially optics, and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

. He was one of the few students of François Viète and friend of

Giovanni Camillo Glorioso Giovanni Camillo Glorioso (or Gloriosi) (1572 – 8 January 1643) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer. He was a friend of Marino Ghetaldi and successor of Galileo Galilei in Pisa, then in Padua. Life Giovanni Camillo Glorioso was b ...

Biography

Born into the

Ghetaldi The House of Ghetaldi or Getaldić, la, Ghetaldus, Ghetaldius) was a noble family of the Republic of Ragusa. History The Ghetaldi were said to have come from Taranto, in 940, at the same time as the Caboga. In 1809, Ivan Ghetaldi sold some l ...

noble family, he was one of six children. He was known for the application of algebra in geometry and his research in the field of geometrical optics on which he wrote 7 works including the ''Promotus Archimedus'' (1603) and the ''De resolutione et compositione mathematica'' (1630). He also produced a leaflet with the solutions of 42 geometrical problems, , in 1607 and set grounds of algebraization of geometry. His contributions to geometry had been cited by Dutch physicist

Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem, ( , , ; also spelled Huyghens; la, Hugenius; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor, who is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of ...

and Edmond Halley, who calculated the orbit of what is known as Halley's comet, in England. Ghetaldi was the constructor of the parabolic mirror (66 cm in diameter), kept today at the National Maritime Museum in London. He was also a pioneer in making conic lenses. During his sojourn in Padua he met Galileo Galilei, with whom he corresponded regularly. He was a good friend to the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

mathematician François Viète. He was offered the post of professor of mathematics in

Old University of Leuven The Old University of Leuven (or of Louvain) is the name historians give to the university, or ''studium generale'', founded in Leuven, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium), in 1425. The university was closed in ...

in Belgium, at the time one of the most prestigious university centers in Europe. He was also engaged in politics and was the envoy of the Republic of Ragusa in Constantinople in 1606 as well as the member of the Great and Small Council, the political bodies of the Republic. He was married to Marija Sorkočević, who died giving birth to their third daughter; they had three daughters: Anica, Franica and Marija.

Works

* *

Legacy

Two notable localities in Dubrovnik are associated with the name of Getaldić: Bete's Cave, named after Marino's nickname, where he conducted experiments with igniting mirrors; and Pozvizd, a key strategic tower in the Ston fortification system which he was commissioned to build by the authorities of the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1604.

References

Sources

Bibliography

*A. Favaro, "Marino Ghetaldi," Amici e corrisponsdenti di Galileo, 3 vols. (Firenze, 1983), 2, 911-34. *H. Wieleitner, "Marino Ghetaldi und die Anfänge der Koordinatengeometrie," Bibliotheca mathematica, 3rd ser., 13, pp. 242–247. *G. Barbieri, "Marino Ghetaldi," in Pietro F. Martecchini, Galleria di Ragusei illustri, (Ragusa, 1840).

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Getaldic, Marin Croatian physicists Croatian mathematicians People from the Republic of Ragusa 1568 births 1626 deaths 16th-century mathematicians 17th-century mathematicians Ragusan diplomats People from Dubrovnik