Pappus

Pappus

Pappus , fl. c.300, Greek mathematician of Alexandria. He recorded and enlarged on the results of his predecessors, including Euclid and Apollonius of Perga, in his Mathematical Collection (8 books; date conjectural). The six and a half extant books, edited and translated into Latin by Commandinus (1588), stimulated a revival of geometry in the 17th cent.; Descartes expounded several of his problems. The collection was reedited by Frederick Hultsch (1876–78). Pappus' other works include a commentary on Ptolemy's Almagest.

Bibliography: See T. L. Heath, A Manual of Greek Mathematics (1931).

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"Pappus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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pappus

pappus A group of modified sepals, often in the form of a ring of silky hairs. For example, when the fruit of the dandelion matures a pappus of hairs persists at the top of a thin stalk forming a parachute-like structure, which serves to disperse the fruit.

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"pappus." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"pappus." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pappus.html

"pappus." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pappus.html

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pappus

pappus (bot.) downy appendage on fruits. XVIII. — Gr. páppos (i) grandfather, (ii) down on plants.
So pappose (-OSE1) XVII.

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T. F. HOAD. "pappus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "pappus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pappus.html

T. F. HOAD. "pappus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pappus.html

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pappus

pappus A tuft of hairs or bristles, derived from the calyx, that terminates the fruit of many Compositae and Valerianaceae.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "pappus." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "pappus." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-pappus.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "pappus." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-pappus.html

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