In astronomy, Zu Chongzhi created a famous new calendar in the history of China-Daming Calendar. In Da Liming, he quoted precession for the first time, which was a major reform in the calendar history of our country. He also adopted the new leap week of 39 1 144 leap month, which is more accurate than the leap week of 7 leap months invented in ancient times. The regression year and intersection days calculated by Zu Chongzhi are very close to the observed values.
Mathematically speaking, the true value of pi calculated by Zu Chongzhi should be between 3. 14 15926 and 3. 14 15927, which is more than a thousand years earlier than that in Europe.
In terms of machinery manufacturing, we have made a copper compass car, which is ground by water hammer with hydraulic rice milling, and can walk hundreds of miles a day, such as a "thousand-mile boat", a leaky kettle, scorpions and other timing instruments.
To commemorate Zu Chongzhi's achievements, people named the crater on the back of the moon "Zu Chongzhi Crater" and the asteroid 1888 "Zu Chongzhi Asteroid".
Country or region: China.
Subject: Mathematicians and Astronomers
Invention: the father of pi
Zu Chongzhi (429-500), Wen Yuan, was a famous mathematician and astronomer in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
Zu Chongzhi's ancestral home is Kuai County, Fanyang County (now Laishui, Hebei Province). In order to escape the war, Zu Chongzhi's grandfather, Zuchang, moved from Hebei to Jiangnan. Zuchang was once a "great craftsman" in Liu Song, in charge of civil engineering; Zu Chongzhi's father is also a DPRK official, knowledgeable and respected.
Zu Chongzhi was born in Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu) in 429 AD. Generations have been studying astronomical calendars, and Zu Chongzhi has been exposed to astronomical and mathematical knowledge since childhood. Zu Chongzhi gained a reputation as a scholar when he was young. When Emperor Xiaowu of Song heard about it, he sent him to the "Hualin Studies Province" to do research work. In 46 1 year, he worked in the secretariat of southern Xuzhou (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), and successively served as a historian and government official in southern Xuzhou. In 464 AD, he was transferred to Lou County (now northeast of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province) as county magistrate. During this period, he compiled Da Li Ming and calculated pi. At the end of the Song Dynasty, Zu Chongzhi returned to Jiankang as a servant. After that, he spent a lot of energy studying mechanical manufacturing until the demise of the Song Dynasty. From 494 to 498, he served as a captain of Changshui in the Southern Qi Dynasty and received four salaries. In view of the constant war at that time, he wrote "On Security" and suggested that the imperial court reclaim wasteland, develop agriculture, stabilize people's livelihood and consolidate national defense. Zu Chongzhi died in 500 AD at the age of 72.
Zu Chongzhi's major achievements are in mathematics, astronomical calendar and mechanical manufacturing. In addition, Zu Chongzhi is proficient in temperament, good at playing chess, and has also written the novel "Syria's Different Records". Zu Chongzhi wrote a lot, but most of them have been lost. Zu Chongzhi is a man of rare erudition.
Zu Chongzhi's son Zu Xuan was also a famous mathematician in ancient China.
To commemorate this great ancient scientist, people named a crater on the back of the moon "Zu Chongzhi Crater" and the asteroid 1888 "Zu Chongzhi Asteroid".
Zu Chongzhi's contribution to astronomical calendar.
Zu Chongzhi's achievements in astronomical calendar are mostly contained in his Da Ming Calendar and Refutation to Da Ming Calendar.
Before Zu Chongzhi, the calendar used by people was Li Yuanjia compiled by astronomer He Chengtian. After years of observation and calculation, Zu Chongzhi found that Li Yuanjia had great errors. So Zu Chongzhi set out to make a new calendar. In the sixth year of Song Xiaowu (AD 462), Da Ming Li was compiled. Daming Calendar was never adopted before Zu Chongzhi's death, and it was not officially promulgated until the 9th year of Tian Jian, Liang Wudi (AD 5 10). The main achievements of Daming Calendar are as follows:
The tropic year and sidereal year are distinguished, and precession is introduced into the calendar for the first time. The precession measurement is 45 years 1 1 monthly difference 1 degree (about 70.7 years difference today). The introduction of precession is a great progress in the legal history of China.
A tropical year is set at 365.24 148 1 (today's measurement is 365.2425438+09878), which is the most accurate data until Yang Zhongfu made a unified calendar in the fifth year of Qingyuan, Ningzong, Southern Song Dynasty (A.D. 1 199).
The new leap week of 39 1 year (144 leap) is more accurate than the leap week of 19 year (7 leap) adopted in the previous calendar.
The fixed intersection days are 27.2 1223 days (currently estimated as 27.2 1222 days). Accurate measurement of the number of months and days at the intersection makes it possible to accurately predict solar and lunar eclipses. Zu Chongzhi calculated the time of the four eclipses in the 23 years from the 13th year of Yuanjia (AD 436) to the 3rd year of Daming (AD 459) with Da Ming Li, and the results were completely in line with the reality.
It is concluded that Jupiter overtakes the sun once every 84 years, that is, the period of revolution of Jupiter is 1 1.858 years (currently measured as 1 1.862 years).
A more accurate five-star rendezvous period is given, in which the rendezvous period of mercury and Jupiter is also close to the modern value.
A method of determining the winter solstice time by measuring the length of the noon sun shadow with a standard table is put forward.