Scientists - 02 - Archimedes (287 – 212 B. C.)

Archimedes the famous Greek scientist was born at Syracuse in Sicily in 287 B. C.

His father was an astronomer, and his mother too was a woman with a good education.

Young Archimedes received his education in a famous school called ‘The Academy’ in Alexandria. A student of the mathematician Euclid, tutored him at The Academy.

The principles and theories discovered and announced by this famous man are still studied by students in educational institutions worldwide.

The ‘Archimedean Principle’ whom all of us know, tells us that if we weigh an object in air and later weigh it again submerged in water, we will note a little loss of weight. The weight lost by the object will be equal to the weight of the liquid displaced when it was submerged in it.

He discovered this principle when he got into a tub full of water at a public bathing place in his city. He was overwhelmed with such a joy; he started running to the palace shouting “Eureka Eureka”. (I discovered. I discovered.) He was so much thrilled he was unaware he was naked.

After the completion of his education he was employed as an advisor by King Hiero, the ruler of Syracuse. He was respected honoured and loved by the King and he very often consulted Archimedes when he faced serious problems.

Once the royal goldsmith was asked by the king to make a crown. The king gave him an ingot of sovereign gold to be used in the work. When the goldsmith presented the crown to the king he suspected that the crown contained some other cheap metal too.

The king requested his wise advisor Archimedes to test the purity of the crown without cutting it. It was a very complex problem and Archimedes was very busy for few days and nights thinking over how to solve it. He found the solution when he submerged himself in the bath tub.

At the palace he had a tub filled with water, and submerged the crown in it. When the volume of water displaced by the crown was measured and tallied with the weight of the gold ingot the king gave the goldsmith, there was a difference. Thus Archimedes proved that the goldsmith had kept for himself a part of the gold he was given, and added some cheap metal to the crown.

With few more experiments and tests Archimedes told the king the exact amount of cheap metal that was in the crown and what metal it really was. The great discovery made by Archimedes accidentally gave the world the way of finding out the relative density of different substances.

Archimedes gave the world the laws of floatation of bodies in water and liquids, and the principles related to the lever. It was he who calculated the values of pi () which are still used in geometry and mathematics.

Archimedes taught the world how levers and pulleys could be used to do a lot of work in many ways. He constructed a screw pump to carry water to a higher place from a pond down.

This great scientist is reported to have built few machines that could be used in battles and wars. Among them were a massive catapult and a very powerful set of burning lenses. The first machine was used to catapult big stones at armies of the enemies and the second was used to burn their ships with concentrated sunlight.

In the year of 212 B. C. the Romans captured Syracuse. Archimedes then an old man, was drawing some geometrical diagrams on the sand in the compound of his home.

A Roman soldier who rushed across the compound saw an old man there and he asked him how he could get to some place. “Go away you fool without disturbing me” shouted Archimedes even without looking at the man who made the inquiry.

The angry soldier was furious and he struck the proud old man who ignored him with his sword and killed him on the spot.

The Roman General Marcellus who had heard of Archimedes’ reputation arrived there a little later looking for him. He was very sorry to see the great man dead beheaded by a foolish soldier. The General cremated Archimedes’ body with great respect.

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