Hypatia of Alexandria

  (born c. AD 350 - 370; died 415)

About Hypatia

Hypatia was one of the earliest known female mathematicians in the world, known not only for her excellence in mathematics and astronomy, but also for the brutal death she suffered from the hands of the early Christians due to her pagan beliefs and political involvement. She was the daughter of a renowned Greek mathematician Theon Alexandricus. Being born to an educator, Hypathia herself had all the qualities that an ideal teacher should have. She was a great orator and people from all across the globe came to gain from her teachings.

Contributions and Achievements

✦ She edited the book On the Conics of Apollonius where she contributed on the ideas introduced by Apollonius on conic sections. It was through this that the development of concepts such as hyperbolas, parabolas, and ellipses took place later.

✦ Some sources also attribute her to be the inventor of hydrometer; however, it was invented before Hypatia and was already known at the time. Apart from editing the existing works of renowned mathematicians of the time, most of her works are believed to have been in collaboration with her father's work.