The works and life of Archimedes
ARCHIMEDES:The Great Mechanic
Not much is known about Archimede's life.He was born in Syracuse on the eastern coast of Sicily. His father was an astronomer named Feidias.His family was probably quite prosperous, despite many contrary beliefs and opinions,as he was accompanied by servants wherever he went and also travelled, which at that time was very costly. Unlike different spiritual men of his time,he did not travel to other countries, except one, and that the city of Alexandria in Egypt, where at the famous institution,Musaeum of Alexandria,he consorted with famous scientists like Conon the Samian,Dositheos,Eratosthenes of Cyrene and others with whom he kept regular contact with,by sending his work to them and asking for their opinion before it was published. The exact time of his stay in Alexandria can only be approximately identified,and that between 250-240 bc. During his stay he made a remarkable discovery:he invented the screw,a pumping machine,whose practical spread was so great that it was used throughout the known world,and is still used today for pumping liquids and other fossil elements .Basically Archimedes's machine was a helical serface around an axis inside a tube.By rotation of the shaft this incredible invention could transfer water from a lower to a higher point. The first recorded use of such an object is in a text by Athenaeus of Naucratis,where he describes of an enormous ship that was designed by Archias of Corinth for the tyrant of Siracuse, Hiero II.Since this was one of the biggest ships in its time it would be inevitable that it would take on water.Therefore, Archimedes's screw was used to pump the water back into the sea. It is unclear whether or not Archimedes designed this pump for the use on the ship but it is widely thought that the great mathematician invented such a tool to help Egyptians maneuver water from lower land to higher for watering the fields. This invention has survived the winds of time and is
Not much is known about Archimede's life.He was born in Syracuse on the eastern coast of Sicily. His father was an astronomer named Feidias.His family was probably quite prosperous, despite many contrary beliefs and opinions,as he was accompanied by servants wherever he went and also travelled, which at that time was very costly. Unlike different spiritual men of his time,he did not travel to other countries, except one, and that the city of Alexandria in Egypt, where at the famous institution,Musaeum of Alexandria,he consorted with famous scientists like Conon the Samian,Dositheos,Eratosthenes of Cyrene and others with whom he kept regular contact with,by sending his work to them and asking for their opinion before it was published. The exact time of his stay in Alexandria can only be approximately identified,and that between 250-240 bc. During his stay he made a remarkable discovery:he invented the screw,a pumping machine,whose practical spread was so great that it was used throughout the known world,and is still used today for pumping liquids and other fossil elements .Basically Archimedes's machine was a helical serface around an axis inside a tube.By rotation of the shaft this incredible invention could transfer water from a lower to a higher point. The first recorded use of such an object is in a text by Athenaeus of Naucratis,where he describes of an enormous ship that was designed by Archias of Corinth for the tyrant of Siracuse, Hiero II.Since this was one of the biggest ships in its time it would be inevitable that it would take on water.Therefore, Archimedes's screw was used to pump the water back into the sea. It is unclear whether or not Archimedes designed this pump for the use on the ship but it is widely thought that the great mathematician invented such a tool to help Egyptians maneuver water from lower land to higher for watering the fields. This invention has survived the winds of time and is