Tom Wujec demos the 13th-century astrolabe | Video on TED.com
Dec 6 2009: Wujec's presentation is very stimulating and refreshing. I wish he stopped at attributing its invention to the Greeks. His jump from the Greeks to Chaucer makes it sound as if no development on the invention or its use had taken place until Chaucer's writing. In fact historians cannot confirm the Treatise on Astrolabe to Chaucer. We know though Chaucer was influenced by Italian and French literature. The Italians translated most of the Islamic civilization's elaborations on Greek texts and inventions in science, Medicine and philosophy. Muslims made significant contribution to this instrument and used it in astrology and to determine prayer times. It was first introduced in Islamic civilization through the translation of the Greek text before the 10th Century AD. Most of the Islamic contributions was translated through Italy before the Crusaders attack on Andalusia. Giving credits and correct documentation is important to human civilization. Ahmad Sultan.
Admittedly Tom Wujec has Selective Amnesia when it comes to the contributions of Muslim mathematicians, astronomers and scientists who refined the astrolabe to be able to do thousands of things. Spherical trigonometry, a uniquely muslim invention where the angles of a triangle laid out on a sphere can be greater than 180 degrees is one such amnesia he has. There are many more - Ed. P M Khan
Dec 6 2009: Wujec's presentation is very stimulating and refreshing. I wish he stopped at attributing its invention to the Greeks. His jump from the Greeks to Chaucer makes it sound as if no development on the invention or its use had taken place until Chaucer's writing. In fact historians cannot confirm the Treatise on Astrolabe to Chaucer. We know though Chaucer was influenced by Italian and French literature. The Italians translated most of the Islamic civilization's elaborations on Greek texts and inventions in science, Medicine and philosophy. Muslims made significant contribution to this instrument and used it in astrology and to determine prayer times. It was first introduced in Islamic civilization through the translation of the Greek text before the 10th Century AD. Most of the Islamic contributions was translated through Italy before the Crusaders attack on Andalusia. Giving credits and correct documentation is important to human civilization. Ahmad Sultan.
Admittedly Tom Wujec has Selective Amnesia when it comes to the contributions of Muslim mathematicians, astronomers and scientists who refined the astrolabe to be able to do thousands of things. Spherical trigonometry, a uniquely muslim invention where the angles of a triangle laid out on a sphere can be greater than 180 degrees is one such amnesia he has. There are many more - Ed. P M Khan
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