Scientists review Arabic manuscript containing lost works of Apollonius and shed light on Islamic scientific tradition

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-scientists-arabic-manuscript-lost-apollonius.amp

Scientists say that the two lost, but extremely important books by Apollonius, the Greek mathematician known to the ancient world as "The Great Geometer," have survived in an Arabic manuscript kept under lock and key as part of the prized possessions of the Leiden University Libraries in Holland.

The revelation is made in a new volume of 50 chapters titled "Prophets, Poets and Scholars" and published recently by Leiden University Press.

Apollonius (262 BC–190 BC) is believed to be one of Greece's greatest mathematicians and is renowned for his hugely influential book, "The Conics of Apollonius" in which he introduces the terms hyperbola, ellipse, and parabola.

According to the volume, "The Conics of Apollonius (c. 2.00 BCE) was one of the most profound works of ancient Greek mathematics. The work deals with the theory of ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas—the curves which you can see if you shine a flashlight on a wall." Apollonius's work comprises eight books, but only the first four were available to European scholars during the Renaissance.

More at link.