Archimedes of Syracuse(Greek: Ἀρχιμήδης)Archimedes Thoughtful by Fetti (1620)Bornc. 287 BCSyracuse, SicilyMagna GraeciaDiedc. 212 BC (aged around 75)SyracuseResidenceSyracuse, SicilyFieldsMathematics, Physics, Engineering, Astronomy,InventionKnown forArchimedes' Principle, Archimedes' screw,Hydrostatics, Levers, InfinitesimalsArchimedesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaArchimedes of Syracuse (Greek: Ἀρχιμήδης;c. 287 BC – c. 212 BC) was a Greekmathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor,and astronomer. Although few details of hislife are known, he is regarded as one of theleading scientists in classical antiquity. Amonghis advances in physics are the foundations ofhydrostatics, statics and an explanation of theprinciple of the lever. He is credited withdesigning innovative machines, including siegeengines and the screw pump that bears hisname. Modern experiments have tested claimsthat Archimedes designed machines capable oflifting attacking ships out of the water andsetting ships on fire using an array ofmirrors.[1]Archimedes is generally considered to be thegreatest mathematician of antiquity and one ofthe greatest of all time.[2][3] He used themethod of exhaustion to calculate the areaunder the arc of a parabola with the summationof an infinite series, and gave a remarkablyaccurate approximation of pi.[4] He alsodefined the spiral bearing his name, formulaefor the volumes of surfaces of revolution andan ingenious system for expressing very largenumbers.Archimedes died during the Siege of Syracusewhen he was killed by a Roman soldier despiteorders that he should not be harmed. Cicerodescribes visiting the tomb of Archimedes, which was surmounted by a sphereinscribed within acylinder. Archimedes had proven that the sphere has two thirds of the volume and surface area of thecylinder (including the bases of the latter), and regarded this as the greatest of his mathematicalachievements.Unlike his inventions, the mathematical writings of Archimedes were little known in antiquity.Mathematicians from Alexandria read and quoted him, but the first comprehensive compilation was notmade until c. 530 AD by Isidore of Miletus, while commentaries on the works of Archimedes written byEutocius in the sixth century AD opened them to wider readership for the first time. The relatively fewcopies of Archimedes' written work that survived through the Middle Ages were an influential source ofArchimedes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes1 of 201/11/11 10:27 AM
ideas for scientists during the Renaissance,[5] while the discovery in 1906 of previously unknown worksby Archimedes in the Archimedes Palimpsest has provided new insights into how he obtainedmathematical results.[6]Contents1Biography2Discoveries and inventions2.1The Golden Crown2.2The Archimedes Screw2.3The Claw of Archimedes2.4The Archimedes Heat Ray2.5Other discoveries and inventions3Mathematics4Writings4.1Surviving works4.2Apocryphal works5Archimedes Palimpsest6Legacy7See also8Notes and references8.1Notes8.2References9Further reading10The Works of Archimedes online11External linksBiographyArchimedes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes2 of 201/11/11 10:27 AM