Archimedes

Euclid (Contemporary)

350 BCE

Euclid, otherwise known as Euclid of Alexandria was a Greek mathematician and writer. He is most notably known for being the father of geometry and founding the School of Alexandria which Archimedes would end up attending more than 50 years later to be mentored and taught by Euclid's former students. Euclid's work was an inspiration to Archimedes, especially his book, 'The Elements'. This book was fundamental to the study of geometry and heavily influenced Archimedes work.

Archimedes is born

287 BCE

Archimedes is born in Syracuse, Greece, and is raised by his father, Phidias.

Archimedes begins his education in the city of Alexandria, Egypt

269 BCE

This event is a significant moment in Archimedes' life because it opened up his mind to new ideas and changed his view of the world of mathematics. At Alexandria, Archimedes studied physics, astronomy and mathematics where he was taught by Euclid's former students. Their influence furthered Archimedes' interest in and his knowledge and understanding of mathematics.

Conon of Samos (Contemporary)

265 BCE

During his youth, Archimedes studied at the School of Alexandria where he met the Conon of Samos. Archimedes considered The Conon as his close friend, and two of his works, "The Method of Mechanical Theorems" and "The Cattle Problem", also mention him. The Conon was a Greek astronomer and mathematician and is mostly remembered for naming the constellation, Coma Berenices. The Conon of Samos was inspired by Archimedes and he most likely helped Archimedes with some of his works.

Archimedes discovers pi

250 BCE

In 250 BCE, Archimedes of Syracuse calculated the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This discovery was significant because pi is used worldwide and has made people's lives much easier, since without pi people wouldn't be able to calculate the area and circumference of a circle. Although people don't realise, the concept of pi is used every day in calculations for building and construction, quantum physics, music theory, medical procedures, air travel and space flight.

Archimedes screw is invented

250 BCE

Archimedes originally invented the screw to remove water from the hull of a large ship. Archimedes screw serves as the combination of two regular simple machines, the inclined plane and the cylinder. The plane wraps around the cylinder, making a screw shape. However, Archimedes screw is not meant to drill into anything rather, the movement of the screw pushes liquid or small materials upwards. Tools using this design are used to process liquid, as well as to move and irrigate crops.

Archimedes publishes "On the sphere and cylinder"

225 BCE

"On the sphere and cylinder" was one of Archimedes proudest works and it is a significant discovery because it was one of the only works Archimedes ever published and it helped him discover the law of buoyancy. This led him to solve one of his most famous works known as Archimedes principle. "On the sphere and cylinder" was written in two volumes and it mostly details how to find surface area of the sphere, the volume of the contained ball, and surface area and volume of the cylinder.

Archimedes principle is invented

214 BCE

Archimedes principle was discovered when Archimedes was told to prove that a crown made for King Hieron was not pure gold as the goldsmith had claimed. When he filled a bathtub and noticed that water spilled over the edge as he got in he realized that the water displaced by his body was equal to the weight of his body. Knowing that gold was heavier than any other metals the goldsmith could have replaced the gold with, Archimedes relied on this method to conclude that the crown was not pure gold.

Archimedes Death Ray

214 BCE

Archimedes' Death Ray worked by focusing the sun's rays using a series of mirrors. These reflective mirrors were held by Syracuse soldiers along the city's walls. The focus of the sun's rays could create a really hot beam of light that when pointed at a ship it would simply burst into flames. This event was significant because it was Archimedes first stand against the Romans, defending his city during the siege of Syracuse.

Archimedes Death

212 BCE

During the Siege of Syracuse, Roman soldiers sneaked into Syracuse and discovered Archimedes solving a maths problem. The soldiers pressured Archimedes to follow them but he refused, resulting in one of the soldiers stabbing Archimedes to death.