Born: 1541, Alkmaar, Netherlands.

Died: 1620, Alkmaar, Netherlands.

Known for:

• In 1585 he discovered that the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, later called pi, approximated the fractional value of 355/113. His son Adriaan Metius later published his father’s results, and the value 355/113 is traditionally referred to as Metius’ number.