Salih Zeki

Bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

(1864, Istanbul – 1921, Istanbul) was an Ottoman

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 ...

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, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

and the founder of the mathematics, physics, and astronomy departments of Istanbul University. He was sent by the Post and Telegraph Ministry to study electrical engineering at the

École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

in Paris. He returned to Istanbul in 1887 and started working at the Ministry as an electrical engineer and inspector. He was appointed as the director of the state observatory ( ota, رصدخانه‌يي امیره, Rasathâne-i Âmire) (now Kandilli Observatory) after Coumbary in 1895. In 1912, he became Under Secretary of the Ministry of Education and in 1913 the president of Istanbul University. In 1917, he resigned as the president but continued teaching at the University in the Faculty of Sciences until his death.

Works

Astronomy

* New Cosmography * Abridged Cosmography

Physics

* Hikmet-i Tabiiyye * Mebhas-ı Elektrik-i Miknatisi * Mebhas-ı Hararet-i Harekiye

History of science

* Asar-ı Bakiye

Mathematics

* Kamus-i Riyaziyat * Hendese-i Tahliliye * Hesab-i Ihtimali

References

* Hüseyin Gazi Topdemir, "Salih Zeki" in ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers'', Thomas Hockey, Virginia Trimble, Thomas R. Williams, Katherine Bracher, Richard A. Jarrell, Jordan D. Marché, II, F. Jamil Ragep, JoAnn Palmeri, Marvin Bolt (Eds.), Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2007, pp. 1007-1008.
''Salih Zeki Özel Sayısı''
(=''Osmanlı Bilimi Araştırmaları'', vol. 7, no. 1), 2005. (Special issue on Salih Zeki of the journal 'Studies in Ottoman Science', in Turkish.) {{Authority control 1864 births 1921 deaths Scientists from the Ottoman Empire Turkish mathematicians Academic staff of Istanbul University École Polytechnique alumni Engineers from the Ottoman Empire Astronomers from the Ottoman Empire