Archimedes+(287+B.C.+to+212+B.C.)

=Archimedes=

Archimedes (287 BC – 212 BC) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor and astronomer. Arguably, his greatest contribution was his work, //Measurement of the Circle//, in which he determined the exact value of pi between the two fractions, 3 10/71 and 3 1/7. His calculations were based on information obtained by inscribing and circumscribing a circle with a 96-sided regular polygon. The sketch below illustrates this idea (drag on the slider to change the number of sides of the inscribed and circumscribed polygon).
 * Short Biography**

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Archimedes made many other lesser known contributions to geometry - particularly related to the areas of plane figures and on the areas of area and volumes of curved surfaces. His methods started the idea for calculus which was invented 2,000 years later by Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz. Archimedes proved that the volume of an inscribed sphere is two-thirds the volume of a circumscribed cylinder. He requested that this formula/diagram be inscribed on his tomb.

Many historians believe that Archimedes was one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians to ever be born. His inventions and work in these fields have changed the way that we all live, yes, us today in the 21st century, even though he came up with his ideas nearly 2,000 years ago. Archimedes most famous inventions are hydrostatics, or the idea that an object displaces an amount of water that is attributed to the objects weight, but we can credit him with discovering buoyancy. Archimedes also was responsible for coming up with many simple machines such as the lever, the screw and the pulley device. He considered one of his greatest accomplishments to be his discovery of how a sphere was 2/3 the volume of a cylinder that had an equal height and width. He also discovered a way to find the measurement of a circle and the volume of solids. He was also the first to identify the concept of center of gravity, and he found the centers of gravity of various geometric figures, assuming uniform density in their interiors, including triangles, paraboloids, and hemispheres. He also is most likely the first mathematical physicist on record, and the best before Galileo and Newton.
 * The Scientific Influence of Archimedes**



Many of Archimedes inventions were groundbreaking in that they opened the doors for future scientists to build upon, expand, and discover new tools, theories and mechanisms in the scientific field. With his inventions, many of today's greatest scientists, societies and cultures were able to survive and thrive due to Archimedes work and understanding of science and math. Think of many of the tools and devices we use today; our homes are full of screws which help provide structure, our ships are built using levers and pulleys, and by knowing the density and buoyancy of objects, we can transport goods and services across seas. Also, from knowing how to calculate the volumes and measurements of everyday objects, we can make sure the structures we engineer and design are accurate and safe. Archimedes made many discoveries and figured out many of the scientific principles that scientists now consider to be some of the basic principles of math and science. Without the work of this great man, who knows if the world would be the same, science and math may have been completely different fields than the ones we know today.

Archimedes provided the world with very powerful mathematical ideas. Some of his contributions that have not already been mentioned are his works on three dimensional geometric figures. Archimedes discovered that enclosing a sphere in a cylinder and slicing them perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder (see diagram) will create equal lateral surface areas of each piece. This was also known as his "Hat Box Theorem".
 * Review of Mathematical Influence**





From : [|www.mathworld.wolframalpha.com]

Archimedean Solids are semi-regular, convex polyhedron made up of two or more regular polygons. These polygons all meet at identical vertices. There are 13 in all; they are shown below.

From: [|www.mathworld.wolframalpha.com]

The following video also explains how many of these solids were formed: media type="youtube" key="bJOss92Gdqc" height="349" width="425" align="center"

While being a scientist and mathematician working on many different projects and problems Archimedes found the time to create many different inventions. Some of these inventions, such as the Archimedes Heat Ray, have not been recreated over time, at least not to perform in the way that they were said to work during Archimedes time. The Heat Ray in particular was said to be a group of mirrors to reflect the sun at a ship, setting it on fire. This action has yet to be replicated. Archimedes work with levers allowed sailors to lift far more weight than would have been possible without their use. Other inventions have had far more overarching significance through time.
 * The Historical Influence of Archimedes' Work**

The Archimedes screw, or the screw-pump, is the most influential invention attributed to Archimedes. It uses include the movement of water from low lying areas into irrigation canals. This advancement allowed for the movement of water further away from a water source without the heavy lifting previously needed. This advancement affected civilizations in its ability to provide easier access to water for farming and personal use. Other uses for the Archimedes screw include its use in a grain elevator, in sewage treatment plants and in the movement of soils. Its design was actually used in a process to stabilize the tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Farming combines use the technology of the Archimedes screw to separate grains from the crop in harvesting grain. By reversing the action of the Archimedes screw a small hydro power unit is created. By pouring water into the top of the screw, the screw will begin to turn, creating a generator. All of these advancements have paid dividends to society in their creation of energy, water availability, and simple machines to replace difficult labor. It cannot be understated how powerful this invention has been to the advancement of civilization.

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