Transcript Slide 1
By Scotty Brennan
Mini-lesson on the life of Sylvester II
He was born in the Auvergne region of
southern France in 945
His real name was Gerbert of Aurillac,
but once he was elected pope, he
changed his name to Sylvester II
His parents and actual place of birth is
unknown, because it was never
recorded.
He Died in 1003 at the Vatican
The Pope?
Sylvester II was elected pope in
999
He became the first French
Pope.
He was Pope from 999-1003.
Yet in his youth he studied at
Muslim schools in Spain.
Mathematics
He showed extraordinary intelligence throughout his
life and became the most accomplished
mathematician and philosopher of his time.
Gerbert was under care of a bishop named Vic, and
was educated at Vic’s cathedral by Arabian scholars.
Here he studied quadrivium
Which is the study of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy,
and music.
He also learned a positional numeric system, which is
much like our modern numeric system.
Accomplishments in Math
Gerbert learned how to use proportions to approach
music in a precise manner.
Later on he invented a more advanced organ.
This organ used water power to obtain constant
pressure.
Before, organs got their pressure from a pump controlled
by the organist’s foot
His organ not only gave an extended steady level of
sound, but its pipes were matched mathematically so
that its harmonics were superior to any other musical
instrument heard in his region before.
Arabic Numerals
Gerbert used Arabic
numerals instead of
Roman numerals
This allowed him
to make
calculations in his
head, where as
people using
Roman numerals
would look at
those calculations
as very difficult.
The abacus
Gerbert studied the Chinese abacus,
and even constructed his own giant
one.
He built this on the cathedral floor in
which he was studying.
He used sixty-four members of the
school to move the disks of his abacus.
He was able to deal with much larger
numbers than before.
Gerbert could accomplish this because
his abacus had 27 columns instead of 12
He wrote a book on the abacus, and it
soon became a text book for the
students at the Cathedral.
Bibliography
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=
ar542842
http://www.incois.gov.in/Tutor/science+society/lectur
es/illustrations/lecture17/gerbert.html
http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=6&hid=3&si
d=231cec80-55c8-4d25-b96fb4ad2b6e27ac%40sessionmgr8&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3Jj
LWxpdmU%3d#db=mih&AN=19337923
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Organ_Frau
enkirche_M%C3%BCnchen.jpg
Bibliography (cont.)
http://www.skypoint.com/members/waltzmn/Mathe
matics.html
http://gregplaysbass.com/
http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/gerbert.html