The
On 28 February 2020, in room A2 at Mapon University, from 2 pm to
4 pm, a lecture was held on “Mathematical instruments used by
Spanish and Portuguese Renaissance navigators”.
The speaker was Professor Jacques Navez, who holds a doctorate in
differential geometry. A Belgian national, Professor Navez has
extensive teaching experience, much of it in Africa,
particularly in the DRC, Burundi and Sudan.
Before
an audience of University management committee members and students,
alongside guests from different parts of
Kindu, the speaker first introduced around ten
Spanish and Portuguese explorers who marked the Renaissance, the early modern period
associated with major worldwide advances in literature,
philosophy and science. The explorers presented included
familiar figures such as Diogo Cão and Christopher Columbus, whom
we have all studied since primary school.
Then,
the speaker briefly described, one by one, the instruments these
navigators used to determine their position, known as taking a fix in
maritime terminology. From the astrolabe to the compass,
the predecessor of the modern compass, they all worked on
mathematical principles. This enabled the speaker,
as a mathematician, to highlight mathematics’ importance in
human development.
The
The session ended with remarks by the Rector, who reminded
students and other participants of the importance of such
seminars as essential supplementary education for
their intellectual development.
