Giovanni Pagnini was an 18th-century Maltese mathematician and hydrographer. [1] [2]
He was a member of the Knights Hospitaller. [1]
Born in Lucca, Italy, Pagnini came to Malta known as the "Hydrographer of the Order" and the knowledge he brought was instrumental in the foundation of Malta's School of Navigation. [3]
Pagnini mainly expanded on theoretical mathematics, but his text Compasso di Proporzioni is focused on detailing new compass-like tools (ex: "La Linea Aritmetica", "La Linea dei Piani[o] Linea Geometrica", "La Linea Cubica [o] Linea de Solidi") for construction and navigation purposes. [3]