CONTRIBUTIONS TO
MATHEMATICS
Archimedes, a
Greek mathematician is considered one of the three great mathematicians along
with Isaac Newton and Carl Fredrick Gauss. . His greatest contributions to
mathematics were in the area of Geometry. Archimedes was also an accomplished
engineer and an inventor. He discovered the method to determine the area and
volumes of circles, spheres and cones. Archimedes invented the water screw, a
machine for raising water to bring it to fields. His crane was
reportedly used in warfare during the Roman siege of his home, Syracuse. Another
invention was a miniature planetarium, a sphere whose motion imitated that of
the earth, sun, moon, and the five planets that were then known to exist.
A FAMOUS STORY
There are many stories about how Archimedes made his
discoveries. A famous one tells how he uncovered an attempt to cheat King
Hieron.
The king ordered a golden crown and gave the crown's
maker the exact amount of gold needed. The maker delivered a crown of the
required weight, but Hieron suspected that some silver had been used instead of
gold. He asked Archimedes to think about the matter. One day Archimedes was
considering it while he was getting into a bathtub. He noticed that the amount
of water overflowing the tub was proportional (related consistently) to the
amount of his body that was being immersed (covered by water). This gave him an
idea for solving the problem of the crown. He was so thrilled that he ran naked
through the streets shouting, "Eureka!" (Greek for "I have
discovered it!").
There are several ways Archimedes may have determined
the amount of silver in the crown. One likely method relies on an idea that is
now called Archimedes's principle. It states that a body immersed in a fluid is
buoyed up (pushed up) by a force that is equal to the weight of fluid that is
displaced (pushed out of place) by the body. Using this method, he would have
first taken two equal weights of gold and silver and compared their weights
when immersed in water. Next he would have compared the weight of the crown and
an equal weight of pure silver in water in the same way. The difference between
these two comparisons would indicate that the crown was not pure gold.
You can see his story on ed.ted.com/lessons
To see another story go ed.ted.com/lessons
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