Tampoia

Vitale Giordano was born in Bitonto (Italy) probably on 15th October 1633. As an adolescent he left his city and, after an adventurous youth, became a soldier in the Pontifical Army. During these adventures he read his first book of mathematics, the Aritmetica by P. Clavius. At twenty-eight, living in Rome, he decided to devote himself to mathematics. The most important book he studied was Euclid’s Elements in the Italian translation by Commandino. In Rome he made acquaintance with the renowned mathematicians G. A. Borelli and M. Ricci, who became his friends. He was employed for a year as a mathematician by Christina of Sweden, in 1667 he became a teacher in the Academy of France founded by Louis XIV in Rome, and in 1685 he gained the lectureship of mathematics at the University La Sapienza of Rome. Vitale Giordano met Leibniz in Rome when Leibniz stayed there during his journey through Italy in the years 1689-90. He gave Leibniz a copy of the second editino of his book: Vitale Giordano, Euclide restituto Libri XV, Rome 1686. He died on the 3 Nov. 1711.

For the works by Vitale Giordano see the brief scientific communication: M. Teresa Borgato, Unpublished manuscripts of Vitale Giordani, correspondent of Leibniz. Leibniz Tradition und Aktualitat V. Internationaler Leibniz-Kongress, unter der Schirmherrschaft des Niedersachsischen Ministerprasidenten Dr. Ernst Albrecht, Vortrage Hannover 14-19 November 1988. For more details I refer to my book: Francesco Tampoia, Vitale Giordano, Un matematico bitontino nella Roma barocca, Armando Editore Roma 2005.