Der Liber de Arcubus Similibus des Ahmed Ibn Jusuf

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Summary

The text of the tract De arcubus similibus was published for the first time by M. Curtze in 1887. However, after examining some more Latin manuscripts and the Arabic MS Oxford, Bodleian Library, Marsh 663 it appeared, that Curtze's edition was rather an adaptation. Also Curtze's suggestion that Jordanus Nemorarius was the author was very probably wrong. The author of the tract was the Egyptian mathematician Ahmed ibn Jusuf (he died about 912) as appears from the Latin manuscripts, and its translator, very probably, Gerard of Cremona. In the tract Ahmed tried to prove, that the assertion ‘similar arcs are also equal arcs’ was wrong (a dispute about this was held in the palace). His starting points were the propositions Euclid III, 20 and 21. Consequently, the tract can be looked upon as a commentary on the third book of the Elements.

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Notes on contributors

P.S. van Koningsveld

Der arabische Text und die Bemerkungen zu diesem sind von Herrn van Koningsveld, die Einleitung und der lateinische Text von Herrn Busard.