Archimedes

Archimedes was born 287 BC in Syracuse, Sicily.

Archimedes was a famous mathematician whose theorems and philosophies became world known. He gained a reputation in his own time which few other mathematicians of this period achieved. He is considered by most historians of mathematics as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. He discovered pi.

Most of the facts about his life come from a biography about the Roman soldier Marcellus written by the Roman biographer Plutarch.

He was best known for his discovery of the relation between the surface and volume of a sphere and its circumscribing cylinder, for his formulation of a hydrostatic principle Archimedes’ principle and for inventing the Archimedes screw (a device for raising water). Archimedes Principal states: an object immersed in a fluid experiences a buoyant force that is equal in magnitude to the force of gravity on the displaced fluid.

He also invented things such as the hydraulic screw - for raising water from a lower to a higher level, catapult, the lever, the compound pulley and the burning mirror.

LEGENDS ABOUT ARCHIMEDES

Legend has it that Archimedes discovered his famous theory of buoyancy - Archimedes Principle - while taking a bath. He was so excited that he ran naked through the streets of Syracuse shouting “Eureka, eureka (I have found it)!”.