Eureka! Pi! & Death Rays!

Archimedes (287-212BCE)

     The many stories that are told of Archimedes are the prototype of the absentminded-professor stories. A famous one tells how Archimedes uncovered a fraud attempted on Hieron. The King ordered a golden crown and gave the goldsmith the exact amount of gold needed. The goldsmith delivered a crown of the required weight, but Hieron suspected that some silver had been used instead of gold. He asked Archimedes to consider the matter. Once Archimedes was pondering it while he was getting into a bathtub full of water. He noticed that the amount of water overflowing the tub was proportional to the amount of his body that was being immersed. This gave him an idea for solving the problem of the crown, and he was so elated he ran naked through the streets repeatedly shouting "Heureμka, heureμka!" (I have discovered it!)

There are several ways Archimedes may have determined the proportion of silver in the crown. One likely method relies on a proposition which Archimedes later wrote in a treatise, On Floating Bodies, and which is equivalent to what is now called Archimedes' principle: a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of fluid displaced by the body.

Mathematician

     Archimedes was also a mathematician. He came up with the first reliable figure for pi. In his work with curved surfaces, Archimedes used a type of mathematics similar to calculus, which would only be developed some 2,000 years later.

Physicist

     Physics deals with the physical properties of objects and their interaction with one another, involving factors such as mass and acceleration. It is a pure science, not dealing with practical matters. Archimedes, on the other hand, put his discoveries to much practical use. Among his most important inventions was the Archimedes screw, a device for pumping water still used in many parts of the world. Through geometry, Archimedes proved that a lever and a fulcrum, an object it rests against, can greatly increase the power of its operator. This led to his development of pulley systems and cranes.

War Mastermind

Archimedes' claw:

Archimedes' claw was invented to defend the city of Syracuse. Known as the 'ship-shaker', it is shaped like a crane arm, from which a large metal hook was balanced. When the claw was dropped on an attacking ship, it would lift the ship by swinging the arm upwards and then sink the ship.

Death Ray: 

There have been many doubts about Archimedes weapon of the death Ray. However in 2005 the Death Ray was proved and tested by a University class (MIT). Using over one hundred mirrors, they made a dummy profile of ship with 5 inch thick wood which ignited after focusing all the mirrors to a specific point on the ship. Thus proving Archimedes death ray as no longer a theory but a definitely possibility that this 'death ray' tactic was used against the roman ships in Syracuse.

Death

     According to ancient Greek biographer, Plutarch, Archimedes was researching a mathematical diagram, when a Roman soldier ordered him to meet General Marcus (who was engaged in the siege of Syracuse). But Archimedes declined saying that he had to finish his diagram. Furious, the Roman soldier killed Archimedes. General Marcus was angered by the death of Archimedes, because he didn't wish him any harm. Another popular theory regarding Archimedes' death is that he was killed while actually surrendering to the Romans.