Women scientistS in Math and Coding Hypatia of Alexandria Hypatia is the first known woman mathematician She made great contributions to geometry and number theory and inspired future generations Hypatia was born around AD 370 in the city of Alexandria Egypt which at that time was part of the Byzantine Roman empire Alexandria was known for being a great place of learning Its library was the largest and most important in the ancient world and scholarship and philosophy were central to city life Hypatia’s father Theon was a famous Greek scholar and mathematician and the last known member of the Library of Alexandria 6
QUICK FACTS NAME Hypatia BIRTH AD c 370 Alexandria Egypt part of the Byzantine empire OCCUPATION Mathematician astronomer and philosopher EDUCATION Taught by her father Theon of Alexandria 7
None of Hypatia’s writings have survived but she is mentioned in an ancient Byzantine encyclopedia called the Suda Women scientistS in Math and Coding star studEnt Theon made sure that his daughter grew up understanding their Greek culture and values which included Greek teachings in math and astronomy Hypatia became an expert in both She overtook her father and made advancements in different areas of math She became the leading mathematician of her time nEW Light Hypatia wrote reviews and explanations of her father’s work and also had her own insights into geometry and number theory In geometry she worked on ideas of parabolas hyperbolas and ellipses which are all kinds of curves In number theory she wrote reviews of the work of an earlier mathematician Diophantes of Alexandria She also wrote many textbooks Hypatia’s thinking was greatly influenced by the classical Greek philosopher Plato c 428 348 BC who had laid the foundations of western philosophy and science A portrait of Hypatia painted in 1901 8
hypatia of alexandria Hypatia’s work on geometry probably included writings about the different curves inside a cone CIRCLE ECLIPSE PARABOLA HYPERBOLA As well as her work on math theories Hypatia came up with practical innovations too She invented a new kind of hydrometer an instrument that measures the relative density of liquids She may also have invented the astrolabe a kind of astronomical calculator WisE WOMan It was very rare for women at that time to receive an education at all let alone to reach such heights of learning Yet Hypatia was admired and respected She was one of Alexandria’s first female teachers she taught philosophy following the ideas of Plato as well as math Known as the Egyptian wise woman she had many loyal students and always attracted large audiences to hear her lectures People even traveled from far countries to hear her speak 9 A 10-mile 16 km wide crater on the moon is named for Hypatia
