The Life of Archimedes - Essay Example

Biography of Archimedes Roll No: Teacher: 4th May 2009 Biography of Archimedes We often think of ancient civilizations as ones that seem to be lacking in knowledge because they did not have the blessings of technology and the comforts we enjoy. However, when we look at other civilizations from this myopic point of view, we miss out upon some truly exceptional minds and discoveries. He discovered mathematical equations, invented tools and developed theories that were far superior to any that his generation had ever seen. Archimedes also made discoveries in astronomy, engineering, and optics. As well as being a great inventor, Archimedes was also a theorist. Archimedes may be from an ancient civilization but his ideas were far from ancient. In fact, he might be credited as one of the first individuals that were able to think outside the box. Archimedes was born in the third century BC in Syracuse and we know very little about his life. What we do know is that his father’s name was Phidias and he was an astronomer, which might give us some insight into Archimedes’ character. His intelligence was probably sparked at an early age by looking into the heavens and considering all of the possibilities of the universe. What we do not know is if Archimedes ever had a wife or children. He was killed during the Second Punic War but not after, he made countless contributions to the world of mathematics and psychics. In fact, it is safe to assume that without his inventions and discoveries, the world – especially his immediate world – would have looked considerably different. His inventions shaped thought and shaped the war and his influence cannot be overlooked or diminished. Archimedes discovered the value of pi by drawing a large polygon outside a circle and placing smaller polygons inside the circle. As polygons increase, so do the sides of the polygons and as this number of sides increases, the number becomes an accurate estimate of a circle. When the number of sides of the polygons reached 96, Archimedes calculated their lengths and illustrated that the value of pi is approximately 3.1416. Archimedes also demonstrated how the area of circles is equal to pi if it is multiplied by the square of the circle’s radius. Archimedes is significant to not only to the world of mathematics, but also to the world in general as almost everything contains an element of math, whether we realize it or not. Through his thinking and discoveries, Archimedes makes understanding of the physical world and the phenomenon within it easier. One of his most popular inventions is the Archimean Screw, which includes placing a screw-shaped object is a box to pull water up from within another object. This invention is still used in some countries to irrigate fields. In addition, Archimedes advanced geometry with the invention of the pulley, lever, and fulcrum. The most amazing aspect of these inventions is that they are still used in the world today. Archimedes was “by far the most famous of the scientists of the Hellenistic period” (Duiker 93). He also established the theory of the lever in mechanics and invented hydrostatics. Craig maintains that Archimedes told king Hiero, “given the force, any given weight might be moved” (Craig 107). It is also believed that Archimedes discovered the basic principles of buoyancy and inspired thought toward “specific gravity by observing the water he displaced in his bath” (Duiker 93). Archimedes demonstrates how we can learn from out immediate surroundings by thinking about relatively simple things in different ways. One cannot mention Archimedes and his contributions to his world without mentioning his inventions that greatly enhanced warfare. He was a “practical inventor” (Duiker 93) in that his inventions helped solve problems and this characteristic came in very handy with a nation at war. Frye notes that even ancient historians “did not hesitate to credit Archimedes with the successful defense of Syracuse against the initial Roman attempts to storm it” (Frye). He states that Livy and Polybius mention Archimedes in their work and give him credit for helping stave off the Romans. Frye maintains that Plutarch claimed that Archimedes “represented the triumph of mind over matter” (Frye). When looking at timing, we can say that the timing for Archimedes’ inventions was perfect. Archimedes’ town of Syracuse was falling under attack of the Romans during the second Punic war. Frye suggests that Archimedes was one of Rome’s “most formidable opponents” (Frye). By the time of the Roman attack in 213, “Archimedes had established himself as one of the greatest thinkers in the ancient world He had solved problems that had baffled generations of mathematicians and uncovered physical laws that no earlier scientist had even imagined” (Frye). Frye maintains that Archimedes was the first mathematician to “resolve the complicated geometry of circles, spheres, cones, conoids, spheroids and spirals” (Frye). As a physicist, Archimedes was the first person to “describe the principle of the lever, and he now fully exploited that principle in his arsenal. The simplest of his anti-ship devices consisted of a lever arm that carried a murderous load of heavy stones” (Frye). This arm, balanced on the distal end, was situated on a pivot and could swing out over and above enemy ships. This lever could also be use to cast large stones on these ships, sometimes aiding in their destruction. Another invention that “sank not only ships but Roman morale” (Frye) is the Archimedes Crow. Frye asserts that these were Archimedes’ most “fearful weapons” (Frye) because they “dropped grappling hooks rather than stones” (Frye). This grapple would hold onto the ship until it grabbed the prow, which once latched in place, would cause the other end of the grapple to swing up, pulling the ship by the prow before dropping it. The end result would be ships either falling on their sides or even filling with water. According to Frye, some ships were even capsized with this invention. It is even rumored that Archimedes came up with the idea of using large mirrors on the shore to reflect sunlight on Roman ships. It is rare that one man can be credited with so much – especially the act of helping one country defeat another with his own inventions but this is what we have with Archimedes. Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects regarding Archimedes is how new discoveries revealed that he was even more innovative than once thought. Nelson reports that was once considered a “very drab and dirty object” (Nelson), turns out to be a glimpse into the mind of Archimedes and how he thought about particular mathematical problems. The object is a book of prayers that have the works of Archimedes layered beneath the prayers. The discoveries shed “fresh light on how Archimedes developed proofs and theorems, and shows that he may have employed and understood the concept of infinity more rigorously than previously thought” (Nelson). The works also suggest that Archimedes discovered combinatorics, an “important technique in modern computing” (Nelson). “The concept of infinity is significant because for many years, historians were under the impression that the Greeks did not understand the concept of infinity. The discovery also explains the Stomachion or tangram, an ancient puzzle in which a square is divided into different shapes and must be reassembled. What is interesting about this puzzle is that fact that it was once considered to be a puzzle but after closer inspection, it was revealed that the shapes in the square are significant because they “demonstrate multiple solutions to a problem” (Nelson). Archimedes seemed to be asking how many possible ways are there to complete the puzzle with the pieces. The formula is a form of combinatorics and a computer scientist named Bill Cutler produced computer software that solved the question with the number 536. The interest that Archimedes took in the machines and theories of mechanics was to safeguard his native land, Syracuse from Romans (Duiker, et. al, 2008). He worked for the levers, found out ways to resolve the issue of areas and volumes of liquid and solids and discovered the notion related to floating bodies in liquid and machine working (Craig, et. al, 2000). Submarines that are constructed and are able to plunge into the water and travel under water, work on the basis of the theory related to floating bodies described by Archimedes (Duiker, et. al, 2008). The principle of lever on the basis of which, levers work was worked out by Archimedes. The value of pi was found out by him. Archimedes screw is a machine that he created for elevating water (Craig, et. al, 2000). All the inventions, findings and discoveries done by Archimedes point towards his being a benefactor to humankind. Archimedes serves as an example of the greatness of humanity in his ability to think outside the box. Many times, we think of the Greeks as great thinkers and philosophers but rarely do we remember them as men that devised machines that we still use today. However, Archimedes breaks that notion. He was able to look at thins in a different way and, more importantly, he was able to see things that were not exactly there. He was able to think about how to move water but he had to think about it in a different way. He thought about levers and beams and what they could do other than what he knew they could do. The coming generations cannot forget or ignore the work of Archimedes because he worked for all times. We are still using his principles in Mathematics, mechanics, physics and other fields of science. The efforts that Archimedes had done for the betterment and advancement of humanity cannot be negated. He was not only a scientist of his time but also a scientist of all times. He had contributed towards the progress and development of humanity as a whole. References Craig, Albert, et al. (2000). The Heritage of World Civilizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Duiker, William, et al. (2008). The Essential World History. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth. 2008. Frye, David. (2004). “Archimedes’ Engines of War” Military History. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed April 10, 2009. Nelson, Sue. (2007). “New insight into the mind of Archimedes.” New Scientist. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed April 10, 2009. Read More