Alhazen
Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham was an Arab mathematician, astronomer, and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age. Also sometimes referred to as "the father of modern optics", he made significant contributions to the principles of optics and visual perception in particular, his most influential wor…
Full Answer
What are the major works of Ibn al-Haytham?
Feb 07, 2020 · Born around a thousand years ago in present day Iraq, Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham (known in the West by the Latinised form of his first name, initially “Alhacen” and later “Alhazen”) was a pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light. Click to see full answer.
What did Alhazen al Haytham discover?
Born around a thousand years ago in present day Iraq, Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham (known in the West by the Latinised form of his first name, initially “Alhacen” and later “Alhazen”) was a pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light.
How popular is Ibn al-Haytham in Iraq?
What was Ibn Al Haytham most famous for? Ibn al - Haytham is considered by some to be the founder of psychophysics and experimental psychology, for his pioneering work on the psychology of visual perception. Who was the first true scientist? Isaac Newton is, as most will agree, the greatest physicist of all time. Was Ibn Al Haytham Sunni?
What did Ibn al-Haytham discover about the human eye?
Ibn-al-Haytham. Ibn-al-Haytham, variously referred to as ‘al-Basri’ or by his Latinized name, ‘Alhazen’ was an illustrious Arab Muslim scientist, philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer. Al-Haytham earned and cemented his place in the hallowed portals of greatest human achievements by making noteworthy contributions to optics, mathematics, astronomy, and …
What was Ibn Al Haytham most famous for?
Ibn al - Haytham is considered by some to be the founder of psychophysics and experimental psychology, for his pioneering work on the psychology of visual perception.
Who was the first true scientist?
Isaac Newton is, as most will agree, the greatest physicist of all time.
Was Ibn Al Haytham Sunni?
His most influential work is titled Kitāb al -Manāẓir (Arabic: كتاب المناظر, "Book of Optics"), written during 1011–1021, which survived in a Latin edition. A polymath, he also wrote on philosophy, theology and medicine.... Ibn al - Haytham. Alhazen Ḥasan Ibn al - Haytham Religion Islam Denomination Sunni Creed Ash'ari
Who is called the father of optics?
International Year of Light: Ibn al Haytham, pioneer of modern optics celebrated at UNESCO. ... Considered to be the father of modern optics, Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham was a 10th century scholar from Basra, modern-day Iraq, who pioneered scientific experimental methodology.
Did Ibn Al-Haytham discover gravity?
Al -Biruni himself described the Earth's gravitation as: ... In the 1000s, Ibn al - Haytham (Alhacen), a contemporary of Biruni, discussed the theory of attraction between masses, and it seems that he was aware of the magnitude of acceleration due to gravity.
Who really discovered gravity?
Isaac Newton changed the way we understand the Universe. Revered in his own lifetime, he discovered the laws of gravity and motion and invented calculus. He helped to shape our rational world view.
What are Al-Haytham's years?
Ibn al - Haytham was born in the year 965 in Basra, and died in about 1040 in Cairo. He was one of the earliest scientists to study the characteristics of light and the mechanism/process of vision.
What was Ibn al-Haytham's career?
Ibn al-Haytham was born during a creative period known as the golden age of Muslim civilisation that saw many fascinating advances in science, technology and medicine.
Why was Ibn al-Haytham important?
His work was important for two reasons: Ibn al-Haytham showed that a person saw an object by something entering the eye rather than leaving the eye. Before Ibn al-Haytham, both ideas had been put forward by other scientists and scholars writing in Greek, Latin, Arabic and other languages.
Who is Ibn al-Haytham?
Who was Ibn al-Haytham. Creative representation of Ibn al-Haytham by the artist Ali Amro. Born around a thousand years ago in present day Iraq, Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham (known in the West by the Latinised form of his first name, initially “Alhacen” and later “Alhazen”) was a pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to ...
Who is the father of modern optics?
Today, many consider him a pivotal figure in the history of optics and the “Father of modern Optics”. Ibn al-Haytham was born during a creative period known as the golden age ...
Who is the pioneering scientist?
Ibn al-Haytham, pioneering scientist. Ibn al-Haytham’s work was remarkable for its emphasis on proof and evidence. He is known to have said: “If learning the truth is the scientist’s goal… then he must make himself the enemy of all that he reads.
Who wrote Perspectiva?
For example, the optics book Perspectiva was authored around 1275 by Erazmus Witelo, who later was called “Alhazen’s Ape” when people realised he had largely copied al-Haytham’s Book of Optics. Ibn al-Haytham was born after centuries of intense activity in mathematics, astronomy, optics, and other physical sciences.
Who was Ibn Al-Haytham?
Who was Ibn-al-Haytham? Ibn-al-Haytham, variously referred to as ‘al-Basri’ or by his Latinized name, ‘Alhazen’ was an illustrious Arab Muslim scientist, philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer. Al-Haytham earned and cemented his place in the hallowed portals of greatest human achievements by making noteworthy contributions to optics, ...
What did Al-Haytham do for Ptolemy?
Al-Haytham’s works on astronomy have contributed greatly towards the development of this specific branch of science. He offered a comprehensive account of the earth’s physical structure and composition in ‘On the Configuration of the World’. In ‘Doubts Concerning Ptolemy’ he indicated and specified several incongruities in Ptolemy’s works including ‘Almagest’, ‘Optics’, and ‘Planetary Hypotheses’.
What did Al-Haytham do to the physics of space?
Al-Haytham touched space physics which can be found in his treatise ‘Epitome of Astronomy’ and maintained that Ptolemaic astronomy models could be correlated with physical objects for understanding them . He also explored ‘mechanics’ another branch of physics discussing in detail about the different forces acting on a body that creates motion.
Who carried forward the mathematical postulates of Thabit Ibn Qurra and Euclid?
Al-Haytham carried forward the mathematical postulates of Thabit Ibn Qurra and Euclid, especially on “the beginnings of the link between algebra and geometry”. He recorded his observations on ‘Euclidean parallel postulate’ and created the ‘Lambert quadrilateral’ also called ‘Ibn-Al-Haytham-Lambert quadrilateral’.
What is the name of the section of optics dealing with light reflections from mirrors or objects with mirror-like
Al-Haytham’s discussed at length on catoptrics —a section of optics dealing with light reflections from mirrors or objects with mirror-like surfaces—in volume 5 of ‘Kitab-al-Manazari’ that was termed as ‘Alhazen’s problem. It was Ptolemy, the Greek polymath who first dabbled in catoptrics in 150 A.D.
Henry Cavendish
Among people born in 965, Ibn al-Haytham ranks 1 . After him are Hisham II, Henry I, Margrave of Austria, Theodoric I, Duke of Upper Lorraine, Sancho García of Castile, Frederick of Luxembourg, and Godfrey II, Duke of Lower Lorraine. Among people deceased in 1039, Ibn al-Haytham ranks 1.
Alexander IV of Macedon
Among physicists born in Iraq, Ibn al-Haytham ranks 1 . After him are Jim Al-Khalili (1962).
What is the most important work of Ibn al-Haytham?
Ibn al-Haytham’s most important work is Kitāb al-manāẓir (“Optics”). Although it shows some influence from Ptolemy ’s 2nd century ad Optics, it contains the correct model of vision: the passive reception by the eyes of light rays reflected from objects, not an active emanation of light rays from the eyes. It combines experiment with mathematical reasoning, even if it is generally used for validation rather than discovery. The work contains a complete formulation of the laws of reflection and a detailed investigation of refraction, including experiments involving angles of incidence and deviation. Refraction is correctly explained by light’s moving slower in denser mediums. The work also contains “Alhazen’s problem”—to determine the point of reflection from a plane or curved surface, given the centre of the eye and the observed point—which is stated and solved by means of conic sections. Other optical works include Ḍawʾ al-qamar (“On the Light of the Moon”), al-Hāla wa-qaws quzaḥ (“On the Halo and the Rainbow”), Ṣūrat al-kusūf (“On the Shape of the Eclipse”; which includes a discussion of the camera obscura ), and al-Ḍawʾ (“A Discourse on Light”).
Who is Ibn Al-Haytham?
(Show more) Full Article. Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen, in full, Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham, (born c. 965, Basra, Iraq—died c. 1040, Cairo, Egypt), mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the principles of optics and the use of scientific experiments.
What was Ibn al-Haytham's plan?
Conflicting stories are told about the life of Ibn al-Haytham, particularly concerning his scheme to regulate the Nile. In one version, told by the historian Ibn al-Qifṭī (d. 1248), Ibn al-Haytham was invited by al-Ḥākim (reigned 996–1021; also known as “The Mad Caliph”) to Egypt to demonstrate his claim that he could regulate the Nile. However, after personally reconnoitering near the southern border of Egypt, Ibn al-Haytham confessed his inability to engineer such a project. Although still given an official position by the caliph, Ibn al-Haytham began to fear for his life, so he feigned madness and was confined to his own home until the end of al-Ḥākim’s caliphate. Ibn al-Qifṭī also reports that Ibn al-Haytham then earned a living in Egypt largely by copying manuscripts; in fact, he claimed to possess a manuscript in Ibn al-Haytham’s handwriting from 1040.
Overview
Biography
Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) was born c. 965 to an Arab family in Basra, Iraq, which was at the time part of the Buyid emirate. His initial influences were in the study of religion and service to the community. At the time, the society had a number of conflicting views of religion that he ultimately sought to step aside from religion. This led to him delving into the study of mathematics and science. He held a position with the title vizierin his native Basra, and made a n…
Book of Optics
Alhazen's most famous work is his seven-volume treatise on optics Kitab al-Manazir (Book of Optics), written from 1011 to 1021.
Optics was translated into Latin by an unknown scholar at the end of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century.
This work enjoyed a great reputation during the Middle Ages. The Latin versio…
Other works on physics
Besides the Book of Optics, Alhazen wrote several other treatises on the same subject, including his Risala fi l-Daw' (Treatise on Light). He investigated the properties of luminance, the rainbow, eclipses, twilight, and moonlight. Experiments with mirrors and the refractive interfaces between air, water, and glass cubes, hemispheres, and quarter-spheres provided the foundation for his theories on catoptrics.
Astronomical works
In his On the Configuration of the World Alhazen presented a detailed description of the physical structure of the earth:
The earth as a whole is a round sphere whose center is the center of the world. It is stationary in its [the world's] middle, fixed in it and not moving in any direction nor moving with any of the varieties of motion, but always at rest.
Mathematical works
In mathematics, Alhazen built on the mathematical works of Euclid and Thabit ibn Qurra and worked on "the beginnings of the link between algebra and geometry".
He developed a formula for summing the first 100 natural numbers, using a geometric proof to prove the formula.
Alhazen explored what is now known as the Euclidean parallel postulate, the fifth
Other works
Alhazen also wrote a Treatise on the Influence of Melodies on the Souls of Animals, although no copies have survived. It appears to have been concerned with the question of whether animals could react to music, for example whether a camel would increase or decrease its pace.
In engineering, one account of his career as a civil engineer has him summoned to Egypt by the Fatimid Caliph, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, to regulate the flooding of the NileRiver. He carried out a de…
Legacy
Alhazen made significant contributions to optics, number theory, geometry, astronomy and natural philosophy. Alhazen's work on optics is credited with contributing a new emphasis on experiment.
His main work, Kitab al-Manazir (Book of Optics), was known in the Muslim world mainly, but not exclusively, through the thirteenth-century commentary by Kam…
Who Was Ibn Al-Haytham
Ibn Al-Haytham, Pioneering Scientist
- Ibn al-Haytham’s work was remarkable for its emphasis on proof and evidence. He is known to have said: Ibn al-Haytham was born in the year 965 in Basra, and died in about 1040 in Cairo. He was one of the earliest scientists to study the characteristics of light and the mechanism/process of vision. He sought experimental proof of his theories and ideas. During many years living in Eg…
Ibn al-Haytham’s World
- Ibn al-Haytham stands out in this long list as the leading figure in both the science of light and science of vision because his work depended so heavily on experimentally-based demonstrations. His work was important for two reasons: 1. Ibn al-Haytham showed that a person saw an object by something entering the eye rather than leaving the eye. Before Ibn al-Haytham, both ideas ha…
The Dramatic Story of Ibn al-Haytham’s Life
- The story of Ibn al-Haytham’s life and discoveries is truly extraordinary. Born in the year 965 in Basra, he made significant contributions to our understanding of both vision and light, bringing important new insights into both of these subjects. His brilliant breakthrough, however, came at a time of the darkest episode of his life. Ibn al-Haytham grew up at a time when schools and librari…
How Ibn Al-Haytham Changed The Course of Science
- Ibn al-Haytham’s discoveries in optics and vision overturned centuries of misunderstanding. In his experiments, he observed that light coming through a tiny hole travelled in straight lines and projected an image onto the opposite wall. But he realised that light entering the eye was only the first step in seeing. He built on the work of Greek physician Galen who had provided a detailed d…