Archimedes, Ancient Greek Polymath #2
by Science Source
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Archimedes, Ancient Greek Polymath #2
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Science Source
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Photograph - Photograph
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While Archimedes did not invent the lever, he gave an explanation of the principle involved in his work On the Equilibrium of Planes. According to Pappus of Alexandria, Archimedes' work on levers caused him to remark "Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth." Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BC) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Few details of his life are known, but he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an explanation of the principle of the lever. He is credited with designing innovative machines, including siege engines and the screw pump that bears his name. Archimedes is considered to be the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest of all time. He used the method of exhaustion (method of finding the area of a shape by inscribing inside it a sequence of polygons whose areas converge to the area of the containing shape) to calculate the area under the arc of a parabola with the summation of an infinite series, gave an accurate approximation of pi and defined the formulae for the volumes of surfaces of revolution and an ingenious system for expressing very large numbers. Archimedes died during the Siege of Syracuse when he was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders that he should not be harmed. Originally captioned Engraving from Mechanics Magazine published in London in 1824.
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July 7th, 2014
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