Six Easy Lectures

on

Ancient Mathematical Astronomy

 

 

General Reading Suggestions

 

General Websites

 

Lecture 1  

          Introduction and Background, Almagest Books 1 and 2, the celestial sphere, trigonometry, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lecture 2  

          Almagest Book 3, the Sun, the length of the year, the geometric models, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lecture 3  

          Almagest Books 4 – 6, the Moon, parallax, the months, the models, sizes and distances, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lecture 4  

          Almagest Books 7 and 8, stars and catalogs, precession, risings and settings, calendars, the background

          Lecture Notes

          Supplementary Reading

 

Lectures 5 – 6  

         Almagest Books 9-13, geocentric vs heliocentric, the planets, the anomalies, the equant, latitude, distances, the background, the developments (India, Islam, Copernicus, Kepler)         

Lecture Notes

         Supplementary Reading