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Archimedes of Syrakusa, d. 212 BC

Background

Mathematics also flourished outside of Alexandria in the Hellenistic period.

Archimedes of Syrakusa (d. 212 B.C.) developed the field of mathematical statics and the law of the lever with his Treatise on the Balance. He contributed to arithmetic with The Sand Reckoner and The Cattle Problem, both of which devised methods for expressing extremely large numbers. He deduced many new geometrical theorems in On the Sphere and the Cylinder, Measurement of the Circle, and On Spirals. He developed the concept of density and what is now known as “Archimedes' Principle” in On Floating Bodies. The work of Archimedes stands as one of the most ingenious accomplishments in Greek mathematics, and was later to significantly influence mathematicians and philosophers of the late middle ages and Renaissance, particularly Galileo (thumbnail, left).

Below are some images from early printed editions of Archimedes held in the History of Science Collections:

Assignments

1. Review what Lindberg says about Archimedes (2007, pp. 109-110; 1992, pp. 89, 108-110).
2. Read this summary of the life and works of Archimedes from the MacTutor Archive of the Department of Mathematics of the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
3. Read Michael Lahanas' account of Archimedes' use of gears.

	HSCI 3013. History of Science to 17th century Kerry Magruder, Instructor, 2004-14 Brent Purkaple, TA Report typos or broken links	Go to this course at Janux spellcheck.net | wordcounter.net Many thanks to the pedagogical model developed in Mythology and Folklore and other online courses by Laura Gibbs, which have been an inspiration for this course.	Academic Calendar
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