Archimedes is an ancient Greek mathematician who exclaimed “Eureka”. He is one of the most famous scientists of antiquity. The research activities of Archimedes touched not only mathematics, as many people are used to thinking. The scientist proved himself in the field of physics, and astronomy, and even mechanics. He created things that were used in all kinds of branches of human activity, starting with agriculture and ending with military affairs. Some of the parts developed by Archimedes are the basis of many modern devices. For example, "Archimedes screw" is used in concrete mixers and meat grinders. This ancient Greek scholar became one of the iconic personalities in world culture and history.
A little biography
Archimedes, an ancient Greek mathematician who exclaimed “Eureka”, was born in 287 BC in Syracuse. The father of this man was Phidius - an astronomer and mathematician. It was dad from early childhood who instilled in his offspring a love of science, in particular, astronomy, mathematics and mechanics.
In Egyptian Alexandria, the ancient Greek mathematician who exclaimed “Eureka” met the famous scientists of those times: Konon and Eratosthenes. Later, until the end of his life, Archimedes corresponded with these personalities. The ancient Greek physicist lived during the heyday of the Alexandria Library. It contained over 700 thousand manuscripts. Obviously, in this place Archimedes studied the works of Democritus and Eudoxus, as well as other famous geometers of Ancient Greece.
But in Alexandria, the scientist did not stay long. He soon returned back to Sicily. In Syracuse, he had both attention to his person and financial support. Since Archimedes lived a very long time, most of the facts from his biography are closely intertwined with legends and conjectures, so it is difficult to understand what was true and what was not. The ancient Greek scientist was an unsurpassed theoretical mechanic and practitioner, but mathematics was the work of his life.
The famous statement of the scientist
All people know what ancient Greek mathematician exclaimed “Eureka,” but not many people know under what circumstances it happened. The scientist’s amazing inventions became an occasion for legends that developed during his lifetime. So, there is one popular story about how Archimedes managed to establish whether the crown of Tsar Hieron was made entirely of gold or whether the jeweler who worked on its creation mixed silver into the precious material.
The isolated mass of gold was known, but the difficulty of the question was to determine the volume of the accessory to the nearest milligram, since the crown was irregular in shape. Archimedes could not solve this problem. Once, when he was bathing in the bathroom, an idea dawned on him: by immersing a product in water, you can establish its volume by measuring the volume of liquid displaced by it.
According to legend, Archimedes ran out into the street with a loud exclamation "Eureka!", Which means "Found!" It was at that moment that the main law of hydrostatics was discovered.
Scientific research
The ancient Greek scientist and mathematician did a lot for science. "Eureka" was not his only famous statement. And again, legends tell us everything: Hieron built a gorgeous ship called Sirocosia as a gift to the King of Egypt, Ptolemy. But the ship did not manage to be launched. Archimedes designed the pulley block - a system of blocks, thanks to which he managed to complete this work with one movement of his hand. Just this incident became the pretext for his another famous phrase: "Give me a fulcrum, and I will move the Earth!".
Interesting facts about the math scientist
The ancient Greek mathematician who exclaimed "Eureka", Archimedes, became the author of more than four dozen inventions. So, he designed a throwing machine that launched 250-kilogram stones. Some modern scientists are sure that it was this man who developed the gun.
In honor of this ingenious man, a crater, an asteroid and streets in such cities as Amsterdam, Nizhny Novgorod, Donetsk, Dnipro, and, of course, the square in Syracuse are named.
Once Leibniz uttered the phrase that if you carefully study the works of the scientist, the discoveries made by the geometer will no longer be considered new. And indeed, after one and a half thousand years, most of the calculations of the ancient Greek were repeated by Newton and thus Leibniz.
The death of a genius
The whole world knows which ancient Greek mathematician made many discoveries and inventions. Who is Archimedes, even children know. It was truly a genius. His life is full of secrets and legends. However, the death of the scientist is not without mysteries. So, according to John Tets, in the midst of one of the fights, the mathematician was near his own house and was thinking over the drawings made by him in the sand that lay on the road. A Roman warrior ran nearby and stepped on the drawing. After that, Archimedes exclaimed, “Do not touch the blueprints,” rushed at the soldier. As a result, the warrior killed the old mathematician in cold blood.