Fun Facts About Shen Kuo
- Shen Kuo wrote about an unidentified flying object called the pearl. Locals built a Pearl Pavilion where spectators on boats hoped to spot it again.[1]
- Shen's Dream Pool Essays of 1088 were the first to describe the magnetic needle compass, which was first described in Europe in 1187.[1]
- Worried about deforestation, Shen used the soot of burned petroleum, which he called rock oil, to invent a new and more durable writing ink.[1]
- Shen reasoned that celestial bodies are spheres: a ball covered in white powder looks like a crescent when viewed from the side, just as the Moon waxes and wanes.[1]
- Shen sent questions about his mathematical work to Hu Wenrou, whom he esteemed as a remarkable mathematician, and lamented: "If only she were a man, Wenrou would be my friend."[1]
- After seeing fossil shells in a mountain hundreds of miles from the ocean, Shen proposed a theory of land formation based on marine fossils, soil erosion and silt deposits.[1]
- Shen Kuo lived to about 64, from 1031 until 1095.[1][2]
- Shen Kuo was alive at the same time as Avicenna — their lives overlapped for 6 years (1031–1037).[1][2][3][4]
Shen Kuo or Shen Gua, courtesy name Cunzhong (存中) and pseudonym Mengqi Weng (夢溪翁), was a Chinese polymath, scientist, and statesman of the Northern Song dynasty. Shen was a master in many fields of study including mathematics, optics, and horology. In his career as a civil servant, he became a finance minister, governmental state inspector, head official for the Bureau of Astronomy in the Song court, Assistant Minister of Imperial Hospitality, and also served as an academic chancellor. At court his political allegiance was to the Reformist faction known as the New Policies Group, headed by Chancellor Wang Anshi (1021–1085).[1]
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Questions About Shen Kuo
When was Shen Kuo born?
Shen Kuo was born in 1031 and died in 1095.
How old was Shen Kuo at death?
Shen Kuo died in 1095 at about 64 years old (1031–1095).
What was Shen Kuo known for?
Shen Kuo was known for: Song dynasty polymath who described the magnetic compass. Shen Kuo or Shen Gua, courtesy name Cunzhong (存中) and pseudonym Mengqi Weng (夢溪翁), was a Chinese polymath, scientist, and statesman of the Northern Song dynasty. Shen was a master in many fields of study including mathematics, optics, and horology. In his career as a civil servant, he became a finance minister, governmental state inspector, head official for the Bureau of Astronomy in the Song court, Assistant Minister of Imperial Hospitality, and also served as an academic chancellor. At court his political allegiance was to the Reformist faction known as the New Policies Group, headed by Chancellor Wang Anshi (1021–1085).
Who was alive at the same time as Shen Kuo?
Shen Kuo's closest contemporary was William the Conqueror. Their lives overlapped for 56 years.
Sources
- Shen Kuo — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shen Kuo (Q270085) — Wikidata
- Avicenna — Wikipedia
- Avicenna (Q8011) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Beijing Ancient Observatory 20090715-19 (cropped).jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Hans A. Rosbach, CC BY-SA 3.0