Atomic Pioneers ----- From Ancient Greece to the 19th Century

Chapter - 7 

ARCHIMEDES

Archimedes (are-ki-mee-deez) was perhaps the greatest scientist and mathematician of ancient times. He was born in Syracuse, Sicily, about 287 B.C. and died there about 212 B.C. 

Biographical Details 

Archimedes was the son of the astronomer Pheidias (fid-dee-us), and a relative and friend of Hieron (high-ron) II, king of Syracuse. He spent some time studying in Egypt, and while in Alexandria he invented the hydraulic screw, which was a device for raising water. It considered of a screw fitting tightly into a cylindrical case. When the lower end was put into water, the upper end was turned by a handle. Water was raised from one spiral of the screw to the next until it flowed out the top. 

He returned to spend most of his life in Syracuse and he died during a Roman siege of that city.

Scientific Achievement 

Archimedes' discoveries and inventions would make a long list. He was the first and greatest of ancient physicists who, like their modern counterparts, used their knowledge of science to defend their country against enemy attack. Archimedes is supposed to have constructed large lenses to set an enemy fleet on fire, and mechanical cranes to turn ships upside down.

 He worked out the principle of the level, circulated a value "pi",* and designed a planetarium among other discoveries. (*pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter). 

Contribution to Atomic Science

Archimedes' idea of the relative densities of bodies helped to show that men could analyze the relative weight of substances. This notion was to become important in the establishment of atomic weight.