Apollonius of
Perga [Pergaeus] (ca.
262 BC–ca.
190 BC) was a
Greek geometer and
astronomer, of the
Alexandrian school, noted for his writings on
conic sections. His innovative methodology and terminology, especially in the field of
conics, influenced many later scholars including
Ptolemy,
Francesco Maurolico,
Isaac Newton, and
René Descartes. It was Apollonius who gave the
ellipse, the
parabola, and the
hyperbola the names by which we know them. The
hypothesis of eccentric
orbits, or equivalently,
deferent and epicycles, to explain the apparent motion of the planets and the varying speed of the
Moon, are also attributed to him. Apollonius' theorem demonstrates that the two models are equivalent given the right parameters. Ptolemy describes this theorem in the
Almagest XII.1. Apollonius also researched the lunar theory, for which he is said to have been called
Epsilon (ε). The
Apollonius crater on the
Moon was named in his honor.
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