Archimedes

Cicero Discovering the Tomb of Archimedes by Benjamin West

Death of Archimedes (1815) by Thomas Degeorge

Displacement-measurement

Archimedes-screw one-screw-threads with-ball 3D-view animated small

Archimedes Heat Ray conceptual diagram

Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287 – c. 212 BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor from the city of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily. He is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, alongside Isaac Newton and Carl Friedrich Gauss, for his contributions to the foundation of mathematics and physics. Archimedes is known for his work in geometry, hydrostatics, mechanics, and astronomy.

Life

Little is known about the life of Archimedes, and what is known comes from his surviving works and historical accounts from centuries after his death. Archimedes was born in Syracuse, and he was killed during the Siege of Syracuse by a Roman soldier, despite orders that he should not be harmed. Archimedes was reportedly contemplating a mathematical diagram when he was disturbed by the soldier and subsequently killed.

Contributions

Archimedes made numerous contributions to mathematics and science, some of which are outlined below:

Mathematics

Archimedes is renowned for his work in geometry, particularly for his formulas for the area and volume of various shapes. He calculated the area under the arc of a parabola and the area of a segment of a parabola. His most famous mathematical achievements include the determination of the value of Pi, and the method known as Archimedes' principle for determining the volume of objects with irregular shapes.

Physics

In physics, Archimedes is best known for formulating the principle of buoyancy, often called Archimedes' principle, which states that a body submerged in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body. This principle has numerous applications, including the design of ships and submarines.

Inventions

Archimedes is credited with designing innovative machines, including war machines to defend Syracuse against the Romans. Among his inventions is the Archimedes' screw, a device for raising water for irrigation and other purposes. He is also said to have used mirrors to focus sunlight onto approaching ships to set them on fire, although this account is disputed.

Legacy

Archimedes' work laid the groundwork for much of modern mathematics and physics. His methods anticipated the integral calculus 2,000 years before Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz developed it fully. The fields of hydrostatics and statics benefit greatly from his principles. Archimedes' ability to think far ahead of his time makes his work continue to be studied and revered to this day.