Geometria

Geometria theoretica. Secunda pars Geometriae Geodesia dicta

Theoretical geometry. The second part of the Geometry, termed the Geodesy

Origin of the work:
  1628 – 1630 Leszno

Editions:
  1942 Prague, Geodézie, in: Zeměměřičský obzor 3 (30), pp171-173, Czech translation by K. Čupr

1963 Prague, Archiv pro bádání o životě a díle J. A. Komenského (Acta Comeniana) 22

1968 Prague, Vybrané spisy J. A. Komenského, vol. V, Czech translation by J. Kyrášek & D. Čapková-Votrubová

1978 Prague, J. A. Comenii Opera omnia, vol.12 

Contents:

This textbook in Latin dates to the time when Comenius was a teacher at the Leszno Gymnasium. The manuscript has been preserved as part of the ‘Leningrad miscellany’ of works by Comenius, in the Saltik-Shchedrin Public Library, St Petersburg, together with the other texts, including the Czech-language O vycházení a zapadání přednějších hvězd... and O poezi české, as well as the Cosmographiae compendium, the Prima philosophia and the Historia profana sive politica.

This work was compiled by Comenius for the needs of the school. It comprises two parts; the first on theoretical measurement deals in individual chapters with geometry in general, points and lines, angles, shapes, circles, triangles and bodies. The second part deals with land survey or geodesy, i.e. with measurement in practice, and provides instruction on the geometric quadrant and its uses, geometric units, the measurement of length, height and depth, and the measurement of height using shadows and mirrors. 

This treatise is intended for didactic use, and represents the early stage of the author’s opinions. It applies the requirement of the Didactic that the natural sciences be a part of education. In terms of content it is obsolete, but it deserves attention for its didactic arrangement of the material: it not only places propositions in front of students, but also requires that the material be resolved in examples. A deductive approach is designated for more mature students.

For further study, see also:

J. A. Comenii Opera omnia, vol. 12. Prague 1978, pp33-36

Vybrané spisy J. A. Komenského, vol. V. Prague 1968, pp15-21

J. Kyrášek, Poznámky ke spisu Geometria, in: Archiv pro bádání o životě a díle a díle J. A. Komenského (Acta Comeniana) 24, 1970, pp146-150

D. Čapková, Poznámky ke spisu Secunda pars Geometriae Geodesia dicta, ditto, pp33-36