Archimedes

Known as the greatest mathematician of antiquity, Archimedes was a Greek engineer and inventor. He was born in 287 BC in the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. His father's name was Phidias; he was also an astronaut and mathematician.

Archimedes is majorly known for his invention of the relation between the surface and volume of a sphere and its circumscribing cylinder. Other inventions were discovering a device to raise water, which was called the Archimedes screw, and he also discovered the hydrostatic principle, which is also called the Archimedes principle.

His Life

A lot of things about his life are unknown, yet there are a few facts that we know about him. He was born in the Greek colony of Syracuse and spent all his life there except a couple of years. He went to Alexandria, Egypt, to pursue his studies but then returned to Syracuse after a couple of years. There he became friends with the famous astronomer Conon of Samos and the polymath Eratosthenes.

He worked for the King and had good terms with King Hieron II, and they used to spend a lot of time together. The King was really impressed with him because he helped improve the existing weapons for the city's defence against the Romans during the Second Punic War in 213 BCE. The machines he constructed were so good that they could delay the capture of the city for a significant amount of time.

Archimedes is famous for his invention of the application of the lever, Archimedes screw and various mathematical advances. I have also read that he used to get so engrossed in his work that he even forgot to take a bath or eat.

His work

a)        One of his most well-known inventions is the Archimedes' screw. There is a story about how it was created. King Hiero called him as he wanted his take on how to empty rainwater from the hull of one of his ships. Archimedes gave it a thought and created this screw to take out the water. It is still used in various developing countries as a method of irrigation.

b)        He has 9 extant treatises, which are-

• On the Sphere and Cylinder 
• Measurement of the Circle
• On Conoids and Spheroids
• On the Equilibrium of Planes
• Quadrature of the Parabola
• The Sand-Reckoner
• Methods Concerning Mechanical Theorems
• On Floating Bodies
• On Spirals

c)         He also created war machines to help the country with its defence system. You know that he created the lever but are you aware of how it was used? The odometer he invented was also used in war; they placed the lever on a cart. It deposited a tiny ball to mark every mile between two points when it rolled. It was also used for improving the existing catapults for the defence of Syracuse against the Romans.

d)        He also invented various mathematical theorems, such as-

• Method of exhaustion
• Archimedean Property
• The infinite series
• Myriad of myriads

e)        He also wrote many things, but all of it was written in Doric Greek; it was the language used in Syracuse. But, the sad part is that the work he wrote did not survive. In fact, some of his theories are also known because of the references made by authors.

FAQs

Q1. How did Archimedes die?

A1. In the autumn of 212, when Syracuse fell to Roman general Marcus Claudius Marcellus, he was killed when the city was sacked. He was asked by a soldier to follow him as the Roman General commanded it, but he was busy doing some mathematical calculations and refused. Another soldier killed him as he could not recognise Archimedes. But, the Roman general never ordered to kill him.

Q2. What is different about the preface of “On Spirals?”

A2. In this, he has discussed his relationship with his friends. Also, he has written that he used to send statements of his theorems or tell them about new discoveries. However, he saw that some of the mathematicians started to claim his results as their own. To counter this, on one occasion, Archimedes sent out false theorems.

Q3. Did he dedicate any theorem to King Hieron II as well?

A3. King Hieron II and Archimedes had really good relations. So, he dedicated "The Sandreckoner" to Gelon; he was the son of King Hieron II.

Q4. What were the last words said by Archimedes?

A4. His last words were, "Do not disturb my circle." It was a reference to the circles in the mathematical drawing that he was working on before he died.

Q5. How was the Archimedes Principle discovered?

A5. He discovered it while taking a bath. The King had asked him to check if the crown had enough gold in it as he wanted to check if the goldsmith had mixed silver in it without damaging the crown. Therefore, while taking a bath, the water level in the tub increased as Archimedes got in, and he realised that he could use this effect to determine the crown's volume.