Thomas Fale (; fl. 1604) was an English mathematician.

Life

Fale matriculated as a sizar of

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

, in November 1578, removed to Corpus Christi College in 1582, went out B.A. in 1582–3, commenced M.A. in 1586, proceeded B.D. in 1597, and in 1604 had a license from the university to practise medicine.

Publications

His only known publication is ''Horologiographia'' (1593).''Horologiographia. The Art of Dialling: teaching an easie and perfect way to make all kinds of Dials vpon any plaine Plat howsouer placed: VVith the drawing of the Twelue Signes, and Houres vnequall in them all. Whereunto is annexed the making and vse of other Dials and Instruments, whereby the houre of the day and night is knowe. Of speciall vse and delight not onely for Students of the Arts Mathematicall, but also for diuers Artificers, Architects, Surueyours of buildings, free-Masons, Saylors, and others'', London, 1593 (other editions appeared in 1626 and 1652). It is dedicated in Latin to all lovers of mathematics in the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. There is also a prefatory letter to 'my loving kinsman,’ Thomas Osborne, who had invented the instrument mentioned in the beginning of the book 'for the triall of plats,’ dated from London, 3 January 1593. The table of

sine In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side that is oppo ...

s which it contains is probably the earliest specimen of a trigonometrical table printed in England.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fale, Thomas Year of birth missing 17th-century deaths Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 17th-century English mathematicians 16th-century English writers 16th-century male writers 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers 16th-century English mathematicians