Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracusewas an Ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Generally considered the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest of all time, Archimedes anticipated modern calculus and analysis by applying concepts of infinitesimals and the method of exhaustion to derive and rigorously prove a range of geometrical theorems, including the area of a circle, the...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionMathematician
believe thinking numbers
Many people believe that the grains of sand are infinite in multitude ... Others think that although their number is not without limit, no number can ever be named which will be greater than the number of grains of sand. But I shall try to prove to you that among the numbers which I have named there are those which exceed the number of grains in a heap of sand the size not only of the earth, but even of the universe
firsts easier investigation
Archimedes to Eratosthenes greeting. ... certain things first became clear to me by a mechanical method, although they had to be demonstrated by geometry afterwards because their investigation by the said method did not furnish an actual demonstration. But it is of course easier, when we have previously acquired by the method, some knowledge of the questions, to supply the proof than it is to find it without any previous knowledge.
earth perimeter greater
The perimeter of the earth is about 3,000,000 stadia and not greater.
firsts geometry theorems
How many theorems in geometry which have seemed at first impracticable are in time successfully worked out!
floating weight body
Any solid lighter than a fluid will, if placed in the fluid, be so far immersed that the weight of the solid will be equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. On floating bodies I, prop 5.
found
Eureka, Eureka! (I found it, I found it!).
distance two balance
Two magnitudes whether commensurable or incommensurable, balance at distances reciprocally proportional to the magnitudes.
writing spheres cylinders
Having been the discoverer of many splendid things, he is said to have asked his friends and relations that, after his death, they should place on his tomb a cylinder enclosing a sphere, writing on it the proportion of the containing solid to that which is contained.
beautiful discovery broken
Spoken of the young Archimedes: . . . [he] was as much enchanted by the rudiments of algebra as he would have been if I had given him an engine worked by steam, with a methylated spirit lamp to heat the boiler; more enchanted, perhaps for the engine would have got broken, and, remaining always itself, would in any case have lost its charm, while the rudiments of algebra continued to grow and blossom in his mind with an unfailing luxuriance. Every day he made the discovery of something which seemed to him exquisitely beautiful; the new toy was inexhaustible in its potentialities.
discovery found
Eureka! (I have found it!)
lying opposites lines
The centre of gravity of any parallelogram lies on the straight line joining the middle points of opposite sides.
running jumping discovery
Eureka! Eureka! Supposed to have been his cry, jumping naked from his bath and running in the streets, excited by a discovery about water displacement to solve a problem about the purity of a gold crown.
may impossible produce
Those who claim to discover everything but produce no proofs of the same may be confuted as having actually pretended to discover the impossible.
moving science long
Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.