The Life of Archimedes

Archimedes is born

285 BCE

Archimedes is born in Syracuse, Sicily.

Archimedes Begins his Education.

269 BCE

Archimedes goes to Alexandria in Egypt for his education. There, he learns about geometry, physics and mathematics, where he was taught by Euclid's former students. This was a significant moment because it opened Archimedes' mind to new ideas and understandings of math.

Archimedes' Screw is Invented

250 BCE

Archimedes invents the Archimedes' Screw, a tool used to move liquids and small materials upwards. This tool consists of two simple machines, an inclined plane and a screw, placed inside a tube. It was originally designed to remove water from the hull (front) of a ship.

Pi is discovered

250 BCE

In 250 BCE, Archimedes calculated the ratio of a circle's circumference to diameter. This discovery was, and still is, very significant because pi is used by people all around the world even without them knowing. Without pi we wouldn't be able to calculate the area or circumference of a circle.

'On the sphere and cylinder' is Published.

225 BCE

'On the sphere and cylinder' was one of Archimedes' greatest works and a very important discovery because it helped him figure out the law of buoyancy. This led him to solve one of greatest works of all time known as Archimedes' principle.

Archimedes' Principle

214 BCE

The Archimedes' Principle was discovered when Archimedes was told to prove that a crown made for King Hiero II was not pure gold. When he filled a bathtub and noticed that water spilled over the edge as he got in, he realized that the water displaced (moved away) by his body was equal to the weight of his body. Knowing gold was heavier than any other metals the goldsmith could have replaced it with, he relied on this method to tell the crown wasn't pure gold.

Archimedes' Death Ray

214 BCE

Archimedes' Death Ray was a defense tool used against the Roman ships during the siege of Syracuse (214 - 212 BCE). It used a mirror to create an extremely hot beam from the Sun's rays and lit the ships on fire before they could enter the harbor. Still to this day, people doubt whether it even existed.

Siege of Syracuse

Period: 214 BCE to 212 BCE

The siege of Syracuse, part of the Second Punic Wars, was created when King Hiero II died and a republic formed. The new government left Rome, joined itself with Carthage and declared war. A fleet lead by Marcus Claudius Marcellus later arrived and laid siege to Syracuse.

Archimedes' Death

212 BCE

During the Siege of Syracuse, Roman soldiers sneaked into Syracuse, discovering Archimedes solving a math problem. They ordered him to follow them, but he refused, resulting in one of the soldier stabbing him to death.