Archimedes of Ancient Greece (287–212 BCE), the Sage of Syracuse, was one of history’s greatest mathematicians, inventors and thinkers. Born in around 287 BCE in the bustling seaport city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily, he laid the groundwork for many modern mathematical and scientific principles.
Introduction
Archimedes set the standard of mathematical rigour, where his burgeoning curiosity often came shining through. Syracuse at the time was a prominent centre of commerce, art, and science. He showed an early aptitude for mathematics and problem-solving, reportedly delighting in his peers with puzzles and often revealing only the answers, not his methods!
Life in mathematics
After receiving his initial education in Syracuse, Archimedes travelled to Alexandria, Egypt, to further his studies. Upon finishing his studies, Archimedes returned to Syracuse, where he died.
Even though most of the information from that time period is lost, it is known he was close to the King, who at the time was Hieron II. The king had asked him to examine a new crown and find out, without cutting it, if it was made of solid gold. The solution came to Archimedes in the bath. He could measure the crown’s volume by placing it in water and seeing how much the level rose by. If an equal weight of pure gold had the same volume, the crown must be real. As it turned out, the crown was fake and the goldsmith was executed (although we’re not sure how Archimedes got all that pure gold). As soon as he solved the problem, he leapt out of his bath and ran naked down the streets shrieking ‘Eureka!’, meaning ‘I have found it!’. He had found what we now know as Archimedes’ Principle, that an object submerged in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.
As an inventor
It turns out Archimedes was also a brilliant inventor. He figured out how levers magnify forces and then used the principle of the lever to build war machines for fighting the Romans. One was an enormous wooden crane with a hook dangling from the rope. It could pick up ships just offshore and roll them over or smash them on the rocks, brutally murdering everyone on board. Ouch!
Unfortunately, all his inventions couldn’t stop his murder in 212 BCE during the Roman siege and the capture of Syracuse during the Second Punic War. He was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders from the Roman general Marcus Marcellus that Archimedes should not be hurt, as Marcellus admired his genius and valued his contributions. The story goes like this: Archimedes was drawing circles in the sand, engrossed in a maths problem, when a Roman soldier came up to him and ordered Archimedes to come with him. Archimedes refused, pleading to not be disturbed, and was promptly stabbed with a sword.
Legacy
Archimedes’ legacy endures far beyond the dramatic tales of his life and death. The principles he discovered, whether it be when he was naked in the bath, on the battlefield or drawing circles in the sand laid the foundation for modern mathematics and engineering. What does his story tell us? Shower thoughts take you places.