Archimedes
Published: August 21, 2008, 8:32 pm
Updated: August 21, 2008, 8:32 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Tom Lawrence
Archimedes.
Archimedes (c.287 BC – c.212 BC), born in Syracuse, Sicily, is regarded not only as one of the greatest mathematicians and scientists of antiquity but also as one of the three greatest mathematicians of all time, along with Isaac Newton and Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss. He made founding contributions to the fields of hydrostatics, static mechanics, and pycnometry (the measurement of the volume or density of an object). He determined hydrostatic principles governing floating bodies, which are still applied to swimming today. He is also known as the "father of integral calculus." Archimedes was an outstanding engineer; he formulated the Archimedes' principle of buoyancy and the law of the lever. It is supposed that Archimedes was the inventor of the screw, a device that can be used to raise water from a lower level to a higher level by turning a handle. Moreover, he is accredited with designing many war machines used in the defense of his hometown of Syracuse, Sicily, including the construction of lenses to focus the sun's light on Roman ships and huge cranes that were used to rotate the lenses.
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Archimedes". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 21, 2008; Last revised Date August 21, 2008; Retrieved May 25, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Archimedes>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Archimedes.
Archimedes (c.287 BC – c.212 BC), born in Syracuse, Sicily, is regarded not only as one of the greatest mathematicians and scientists of antiquity but also as one of the three greatest mathematicians of all time, along with Isaac Newton and Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss. He made founding contributions to the fields of hydrostatics, static mechanics, and pycnometry (the measurement of the volume or density of an object). He determined hydrostatic principles governing floating bodies, which are still applied to swimming today. He is also known as the "father of integral calculus." Archimedes was an outstanding engineer; he formulated the Archimedes' principle of buoyancy and the law of the lever. It is supposed that Archimedes was the inventor of the screw, a device that can be used to raise water from a lower level to a higher level by turning a handle. Moreover, he is accredited with designing many war machines used in the defense of his hometown of Syracuse, Sicily, including the construction of lenses to focus the sun's light on Roman ships and huge cranes that were used to rotate the lenses.
Further Reading
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