Reference
- Archimedes: Credo ReferenceThe ancient Greeks ascribed a broader purview to the field of literature than we moderns are accustomed to do, and writers on astronomy, physics, and mathematics were numbered among those whose works the ancients considered literary. A giant among the early practitioners of those sciences was Archimedes.
Online Resources
- ArchimedesThe article discusses some of the most important contributions of Greek mathematician, scientist and inventor Archimedes. The scope of his work includes the geometry of three-dimensional objects, an approximation for π, the method of exhaustion in ancient calculus and the foundations of theoretical mechanics.
- How Archimedes Proposed to Move the EarthIn 1958 A. G. Drachmann examined the ancient reports concerning Archimedes’ demonstration that he could haul a ship single-handedly. This story is often associated with Archimedes’ boast, “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth.” The reports concerning Archimedes’ ship-hauling feat offer conflicting accounts of the technology used: pulleys, overhead crane, windlass, or screw. Drachmann suggested that the device used was actually a composite of pulley, windlass, and screw. However, scholarship on Archimedes has overlooked a passing remark by the Neoplatonist Olympiodorus, which links Archimedes’ boast about moving the Earth to the invention of a device called a baroulkos. Although the baroulkos is generally thought to have been invented three centuries later, this essay argues that Olympiodorus’s ascription of it to Archimedes makes most sense of the testimonia and that this overlooked piece of evidence makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Hellenistic technology.
- Archimedes' floating bodies on a spherical EarthArchimedes was the first to systematically find the centers of gravity of various solid bodies and to apply this concept in determining stable configurations of floating bodies. In this paper, we discuss an error in a proof developed by Archimedes that involves determining whether a uniform, spherical cap will float stably with its base horizontal in a liquid on a spherical Earth. We present a simpler, corrected proof and discuss aspects of his proof regarding a spherical cap that is not uniform
Streaming Media
- ArchimedesThe designer of the Antikythera Mechanism would have been a master in mathematics and engineering. Military inventions were put to good use during the Hellenistic period.
- Archimedes' PrincipleMoriarty, Baliunas, and Al Martinez explain how Greek mathematician Archimedes figured out how to calculate the buoyant force exerted on an object immersed in fluid.
Perspectives
Archimedes
Known as the Father of Mathematics, Archimedes was the most important mathematician and inventor in ancient Greece. Many of the inventions he created as solutions to problems presented to him by King Hiero II are still in use today. Accomplished in both theoretical and practical mathematics, Archimedes is best known for mechanical inventions like Archimedes' screw, the Claw of Archimedes, and the heat ray as a weapon, as well as his discoveries using water displacement and buoyancy. But his contributions to pure mathematics, such as his approximation of pi, laid the groundwork for modern calculus.
On Giants' Shoulders
Explore the greatest minds in the history of science with some of the top scientific thinkers of today. Archimedes Galileo Galilei Sir Isaac Newton Antoine Lavoisier Michael Faraday #65533; Charles Darwin Jules Henri PoincarT Sigmund Freud Marie Curie Albert Einstein Francis Crick James Watson The story of science is the greatest adventure of the human mind over the last 2,500 years, as scientists have progressively advanced humankind's understanding and control of the universe. Yet for many, the scientific theories that underpin the modern world can be hard to grasp. On Giants' Shoulders elucidates the milestones in the history of science, focusing on twelve individuals and their extraordinary breakthroughs. From a layman's perspective, acclaimed journalist and author Melvyn Bragg discusses the life, work, and legacy of these remarkable people with leading scientists and historians in each field, including Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins, Roger Penrose, Martin Rees, Oliver Sacks, John Gribbin, and Paul Davies. Interviewed by journalist Melvyn Bragg, a selection of scientists discuss twelve of the pioneers of science history--and the fascinating personalities behind the discoveries. What makes this book work so well is that Bragg is a fine journalist applying his skills as an outsider to blow away the pretensions and reveal some of the mechanics and motivations of what is still a remarkably closed world. --New Scientist Each life is pored over in a brief but brilliant intellectual post mortem with the help of prominent contemporary scientists. . . Here are the paranoia, the blind alleys of research, the rivalry, and many collisions of intellectual heavyweights. . . On Giants' Shoulders holds delights for both scientist and layperson.--Kevin O'Sullivan, Irish Times Each chapter has the pace and liveliness of a round table discussion. . . In a surprisingly brief space, one can thus taste a flavor of true debate as each contemporary scientist brings in their own angle.--Susan Greenfield
Archimedes
Many people have heard two things about Archimedes: he was the greatest mathematician of antiquity, and he ran naked from his bath crying ``Eureka!''. However, few people are familiar with the actual accomplishments upon which his enduring reputation rests, and it is the aim of this book to shed light upon this matter. Archimedes' ability to achieve so much with the few mathematical tools at his disposal was astonishing. He made fundamental advances in the fields of geometry, mechanics, and hydrostatics. No great mathematical expertise is required of the reader, and the book is well illustrated with over 100 diagrams. It will prove fascinating to students and professional mathematicians alike.
Archimedes to Hawking
Archimedes to Hawking takes the reader on a journey across the centuries as it explores the eponymous physical laws--from Archimedes' Law of Buoyancy and Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and Hubble's Law of Cosmic Expansion--whose ramifications haveprofoundly altered our everyday lives and our understanding of the universe.Throughout this fascinating book, Clifford Pickover invites us to share in the amazing adventures of brilliant, quirky, and passionate people after whom these laws are named. These lawgivers turn out to be a fascinating, diverse, and sometimes eccentric group of people. Many were extremelyversatile polymaths--human dynamos with a seemingly infinite supply of curiosity and energy and who worked in many different areas in science. Others had non-conventional educations and displayed their unusual talents from an early age. Some experienced resistance to their ideas, causing significantpersonal anguish. Pickover examines more than 40 great laws, providing brief and cogent introductions to the science behind the laws as well as engaging biographies of such scientists as Newton, Faraday, Ohm, Curie, and Planck. Throughout, he includes fascinating, little-known tidbits relating tothe law or lawgiver, and he provides cross-references to other laws or equations mentioned in the book. For several entries, he includes simple numerical examples and solved problems so that readers can have a hands-on understanding of the application of the law.A sweeping survey of scientific discovery as well as an intriguing portrait gallery of some of the greatest minds in history, this superb volume will engage everyone interested in science and the physical world or in the dazzling creativity of these brilliant thinkers.