Archimedes full name

Regarded as the greatest mathematician of ancient history , and one of the greatest of all time, [ 4 ] Archimedes anticipated modern calculus and analysis by applying the concept of the infinitely small and the method of exhaustion to derive and rigorously prove a range of geometrical theorems. He was also one of the first to apply mathematics to physical phenomena , working on statics and hydrostatics.

Archimedes' achievements in this area include a proof of the law of the lever , [ 10 ] the widespread use of the concept of center of gravity , [ 11 ] and the enunciation of the law of buoyancy known as Archimedes' principle. Archimedes died during the siege of Syracuse , when he was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders that he should not be harmed.

What is archimedes famous for

Cicero describes visiting Archimedes' tomb, which was surmounted by a sphere and a cylinder that Archimedes requested be placed there to represent his most valued mathematical discovery. Unlike his inventions, Archimedes' mathematical writings were little known in antiquity. Alexandrian mathematicians read and quoted him, but the first comprehensive compilation was not made until c.

The relatively few copies of Archimedes' written work that survived through the Middle Ages were an influential source of ideas for scientists during the Renaissance and again in the 17th century , [ 15 ] [ 16 ] while the discovery in of previously lost works by Archimedes in the Archimedes Palimpsest has provided new insights into how he obtained mathematical results.

Archimedes was born c. The date of birth is based on a statement by the Byzantine Greek scholar John Tzetzes that Archimedes lived for 75 years before his death in BC. It is unknown, for instance, whether he ever married or had children, or if he ever visited Alexandria , Egypt, during his youth. The standard versions of Archimedes' life were written long after his death by Greek and Roman historians.

The earliest reference to Archimedes occurs in the Histories by Polybius c. He notes that the Romans underestimated Syracuse's defenses, and mentions several machines Archimedes designed, including improved catapults , crane-like machines that could be swung around in an arc, and other stone-throwers. Although the Romans ultimately captured the city, they suffered considerable losses due to Archimedes' inventiveness.