Guo Shoujing (1231-1316), also spelled Ruosi. A native of Xingtai County, Xingzhou (邢台县; present-day Xindu District, Xingtai, Hebei Province). A famous astronomer, mathematician and water conservancy engineering expert of the Yuan Dynasty.
Guo Shoujing has made outstanding achievements in astronomy, calendar, water conservancy and mathematics.
In 1970, the International Astronomical Society named Guo Shoujing a crater on the moon as "Guo Shoujing Crater". In 1977, the International Minor Planet Center named the asteroid 2012 "Guo Shoujing Asteroid". The National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also named the LAMOST Telescope, a major national scientific and technological infrastructure, as the "Guo Shoujing Astronomical Telescope".
Major achievements
Guo Shoujing has made great contributions to astronomy, geography, water conservancy and mathematics. He is the author of fourteen astronomical calendar works such as "Pushing Step" and "Licheng", and has formulated the "Chronological Calendar" that has been in circulation for more than 360 years, and Guo Shoujing has also reformed and invented twelve new instruments such as simple instruments and high tables. In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (1264), Guo Shoujing was ordered to repair the ancient canals in the territory of Western Xia, and even erected a gate weir to irrigate the local farmland.
1. Mathematics: In addition to the progress in astronomical data, the Chronological Calendar, which Guo Shoujing participated in formulating, also has major innovations and innovations in computational methods.
2. Optics: Guo Shoujing repeatedly used the principle of pinhole imaging in the astronomical instruments such as Jingfu and Yangyi created, which is also a more prominent achievement in the history of Chinese optics, reflecting the high application ability of optical knowledge in ancient China.
3. Hydraulics: In the process of water control, Guo Shoujing has always implemented the guiding ideology of irrigation, flood control and water transportation, and achieved good results.
4. Astronomy: Guo Shoujing used the astronomical instruments he improved and created to make many precise astronomical observations, so that the compilation of the "Chronological Calendar" has a reliable observation basis.
5. Geography: Proposed the concept of "altitude"; manufacturing astronomical instruments.
Guo Shoujing commemorative stamps
Guo Shoujing sculpture
Personal writings
Guo Shoujing participated in the joint research and development of the "Chronological Calendar" that xu Heng and Wang Ke had been in use for more than 360 years, which became the most advanced calendar in the world at that time. According to the "Biography of Guo Shoujing of the Yuan Shi", Guo Shoujing's astronomical calendar works include "Pushing Steps", "Li Cheng", "Draft Proposal of Calendar Discussion", "Selection of Gods", "Annotation of the Three Calendars of Upper, Middle and Lower Levels", "Notes on time", "Source Flow of The Cultivation Calendar", "Ritual Symbol French Style", "Erzhi Jing Examination", "Fifty Volumes of the Five-Star Fine Line Examination", "Ancient and Modern Food Examination", "New Test twenty-eight houses of miscellaneous sitting on the stars into the pole", "New Measurement of Nameless Stars", "Moon Departure Examination", etc., a total of 105 volumes.
Guo Shoujing telescope
Character evaluation
Guo Shoujing is the world's greatest scientist at the end of the thirteenth century and the beginning of the fourteenth century, his scientific achievements are not only in China, but also in the world are very outstanding, Guo Shoujing engaged in scientific research embodied in the scientific spirit, scientific thinking, scientific methods, but also reflect the light of human wisdom.
Guo Shoujing's life is mainly engaged in scientific research work, in scientific activities, he carefully observes the characteristics of objective things, from which to grasp their development laws; He can well discover and summarize the inventions and creations of working people, and apply and improve them from specific practice; He is good at drawing useful things from the lessons of others, learning from each other's strong points, so that his own scientific research career gradually tends to improve. However, he never satisfies the ready-made experience of his predecessors, dares to explore boldly, and is full of innovation. Because of his tireless, hard work, and hard work, he has made outstanding achievements in astronomy, calendar, water conservancy and mathematics.