Contents
Liu Hui
Explaining the reasoning behind ancient Chinese mathematical procedures and refining calculations of pi.
Nine Chapters commentary · Sea Island Mathematical Manual
- Born
- Unknown
- Birthplace
- China
More people
Liu Hui
Liu Hui was a Chinese mathematician active in the third century. His commentary on the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art explained why procedures worked, while his surveying text showed how geometry could measure inaccessible places.
Early life
Sparse life records
His exact birth date, education and family circumstances are not securely established.
Three Kingdoms setting
He worked within the mathematical tradition of the state of Wei during China’s Three Kingdoms period.
Career
- 263
Commentary and explanation
Completed his commentary on the Nine Chapters, adding arguments about calculation, area and volume.
- Third century
Surveying mathematics
Developed geometrical methods preserved in the Sea Island Mathematical Manual; a fuller career chronology does not survive.
Contributions
Nine Chapters commentary
Explained procedures for arithmetic, equations and geometrical measurement.
Sea Island Mathematical Manual
Used repeated observations and similar triangles to calculate distant heights and lengths.
Circle approximation
Improved estimates of pi by repeatedly subdividing polygons inside a circle.
Beyond calculation
Practical problems
His examples connect mathematics with surveying, construction and the measurement of land.
Acknowledging limits
He recognised difficulties in calculating the volume of a sphere, leaving a problem that later Chinese mathematicians developed further.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional biography and research ↗Photo: Unknown; later artistic depiction, not a contemporary likeness. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
