Biography of Archimedes

Biography of Archimedes

Archimedes of Syracuse was a brilliant mathematician, which is what he is most known for, but he was also an inventor, engineer, and astronomer. He was born in the Greek city of Syracuse around 287 BC, where he stayed for most of his life. However, little is known about Archimedes’ personal life. This is mainly due to the fact that most of what we know about Archimedes is from ancient historians studying him centuries and sometimes thousands of years later.
Archimedes’ father was an astronomer named Phidias, but we don’t know who his mother was, or if he had any siblings. Some historians believe that Archimedes was related to the royal family of Syracuse, but we do not know if this is true. We also do not know the exact date or year he was born in, but the Byzantine writer Johannes Tzetzes claimed that he was seventy-five years old when he died in 212 BC. From this information, historians have deducted that Archimedes was born around 287 BC, but again, we do not know if what Johannes wrote was true.
The great mathematician Archimedes is most famous for making the discovery of what is now known as the Archimedes Principle when he was bathing in the public baths of Syracuse. King Hiero the Second of Syracuse asked Archimedes to find out whether or not his newly-made crown was made of pure gold or if the goldsmith had kept some of the gold he was given for himself. Archimedes worked night and day, but he couldn’t figure it out. Finally, he went to the bathhouse to relax, thinking the answer might come to him in time. His bath was filled a little too much, and it overflowed when he got in. He sat down, got up, sat down, then jumped up and shouted “Eureka!! I’ve found it!!”
He ran out into the streets, (still naked and getting weird looks), and all the way to the palace, where he barged into the royal hall, and shouted again, “Eureka!! I have found it!!” The king asked him what he had found, and Archimedes explained that if you put the crown in one bowl of water and the amount of gold it’s supposed to have in it in another bowl of water, the height of the water in the bowls should be the same if the crown is truly made completely of gold. The king did so, and found that the water level of the bowl containing his crown was less than the water level of the bowl containing the gold. The king then punished the goldsmith for his crime.
However, the Archimedes Principle isn’t the only thing that Archimedes was famous for. He invented many valuable tools, some of which we still use today. This is the list of Archimedes’ inventions and discoveries:
Invented a machine used for irrigation, now known as the Archimedes Screw
Facilitated the lever and pulley
Calculated the value of pi
Calculated the amount of sand that would fill the known universe, (8x1063)
Proposed a new Greek number system
Devised ways to calculate areas and values
Formulated integral calculus
Developed the ‘block and tackle’ system of pulleys used on ships
Possibly invented the steam-powered cannon
Invented a crane-like contraption used to overturn enemy ships
        There is also a legend that Archimedes invented a system of mirrors that, when tilted so they reflect the rays of the sun, can burn enemy ships. This story is considered a legend due to the fact that, once again, we do not know for certain whether the story is true or not.
        Although much is uncertain about Archimedes’ life, we know for a fact that he was one of the most brilliant and most accomplished mathematicians of his age. He invented many machines, elaborated on many previously known inventions and simple machines, and devised a multitude of new mathematical formulas, some of which are still in use today. He has gone down in history as “the father of mathematics,” and we will remember him and his works for centuries to come.


Notes:

famous quote: “Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the world.”
little is known about his personal life—don’t know if he had any siblings or who his mother is
his full name is Archimedes of Syracuse
what we know about Archimedes comes mostly from historians writing about him centuries later
we do not know the exact day or year he was born but the Byzantine writer Johannes Tzetzes claimed that he was seventy five years old. what we do know is that he died in Syracuse in 212 BC. scholars have deducted from these numbers that Archimedes was born about 287 BC.
his fathers name is Pheidias, which we know because Archimedes mentioned it in one of his works
we do not know if he married or had children
many different sources described archimedes’s personality in different ways, none of which we know to be true
historians believe he may have been related to the royal family of syracuse, but we don’t know if this is true.
archimedes was not wealthy, but had family ties and a close friendship with the royal family, which allowed him time and resources to discover
most of his ideas and discoveries have been preserved in the form of his writings
many familiar tales about archimedes were just legend, although we do not know how much truth are in these tales
regarding the tale of archimedes burning enemy ships with mirrors, a greek historian named Diodorus wrote it—no proof exists that this invention was actually built and successful
one of the most important sources for details of Archimedes’s life is from and ancient Greek historian named Plutarch, who lived around the first century AD. his book, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans is one of the major sources of ancient Greek and Roman history
he lived in a time of turmoil and war
Plutarch wrote: “he (Archimedes) used to trace geometrical figures in the ashes of the fire, and diagrams in the oil on his body, being in a state of entire preoccupation, and... divine possession with his love and delight for science.” in The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans. we do not know if this is an accurate portrayal of Archimedes’ character due to the fact that Plutarch lived centuries after him.
Plutarch wrote that Archimedes considered “sordid and ignoble the whole trade of engineering.”
don’t know if Archimedes had a last name other than Archimedes of Syracuse
Archimedes made good friends with two mathematicians, Conon and Eratosthenes while studying in Alexandria
Eratosthenes was the head librarian in the Library of Alexandria and a tutor to Ptolemy the third’s son. He is best remembered for calculating a very accurate value for the circumference of Earth.
Conon was an astronomer in Ptolemy's court.
he established the value of pi
he devised a system of calculation that was a forerunner of integral calculus
he is considered the father of experimental science
the Archimedes Principle basically states that when an object is submersed in water, the water goes up
he studied at the Alexandrian Museum in Egypt under the successors of the mathematician Euclid
The Romans attacked Syracuse during the Second Punic war in 212 BC, and the Roman commander ordered that Archimedes should not be harmed. However, a soldier found him, now an old man, tracing geometric figures in the sand, but didn’t recognise him. The stubborn Archimedes refused to move along until he had finished his problem, and the soldier killed him.
Archimedes made the discovery of what is now known as the Archimedes Principle when he was bathing at the public baths. King Hiero the Second of Syracuse asked Archimedes to find out whether or not his newly-made crown was made of pure gold or if the goldsmith had kept some of the gold he was given for himself. Archimedes worked night and day, but he couldn’t figure it out. Finally, he went to the bathhouse to relax, thinking the answer might come to him in time. His bath was filled a little too much, and it overflowed when he got in. He sat down, got up, sat down, then jumped up and shouted “Eureka!! I’ve found it!!”
He ran out into the streets, (still naked and getting weird looks), and all the way to the palace, where he barged into the royal hall, and shouted again, “Eureka!! I have found it!!” The king asked him what he had found, and Archimedes explained that if you put the crown in one bowl of water and the amount of gold it’s supposed to have in it in another bowl of water, the height of the water in the bowls should be the same. The king did so, and found that the water level of the bowl containing his crown was less than the water level of the bowl containing the gold. The king then punished the goldsmith for his crime.