ARCHIMEDES (287 - 212 В. С.)

The great Scientist of ancient times Archimedes was born at Syracuse in Sicily in the year 287 before our era. He was educated in Alexandria. After he had completed his course there, he returned to his native town where he spent the rest of his life and earned the high respect of its citizens.

Archimedes discovered many laws of mathematics. He used to say:

“Give me but one firm spot on which to stand, and I will move the Earth”.

Archimedes was not only a mathematician. Many stories are told of his assistance to his city. Once he destroyed the enemy ships by focussing the Sun's rays upon them by means of lenses. On another occasion, when the builders were unable to launch a ship, Archimedes did it using some mechanism.

The King of Syracuse had high respect for Archimedes. It happened that a goldsmith made a gold crown for the king but the king suspected the gold to have been alloyed with some baser metal. The king asked Archimedes to test the gold of the crown.

One day when Archimedes was having his bath, the method to test the crown came into his mind. And the astonished people saw Archimedes run through the streets of Syracuse shouting. “Eurika! Eurika! (I have found it! I have found it!)”.

“This day, if we knew which it was, must be celebrated as the birthday of mathematical physics”, an English scientist says.

alloyed легированный one

firm spot зд. точка опоры

Syracuse Сиракузы