2015-07-21
1376
Men of science consider Lobachevsky to be a great mathematician. The whole world knows Lobachevsky to have strictly demonstrated and explained the principles of the theory of parallel lines. We consider him to be a great organizer of popular education, and we know him to have written much on the problems of education.
Lobachevsky was born on December 1, 1792 near Nizhny Novgorod. His father died when he was only a child, leaving the family in extreme poverty. The family moved to Kazan where Lobachevsky was admitted to the gymnasium. We know his progress to have been extremely rapid in mathematics and classics. At the age of 14 he entered the University of Kazan where he is known to have spent 40 years as a student, assistant professor, and finally rector. Under his direction great improvements were made at the University. We know an observatory to have been founded and equipped and a mechanical workshop to have been established.
For 2200 years all the mankind believed Euclid to have discovered an absolute truth. Lobachevsky proved Euclid's axiom on parallel lines not to be true. He built a new geometrical theory quite different from that of Euclid. We know his ideas to have greatly influenced not only geometry, but mechanics, physics, astronomy as well. Like Galileo, Copernicus and Newton he is one of those who laid the foundation of science.
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