|
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese
English
French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Malay
Polish
Portuguese
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese|
BIOGRAPHIES OF GREAT SCIENTISTS
Archimedes. Biography of a scientist
Directory / Biographies of great scientists
Archimedes was born in 287 BC in the Greek city of Syracuse, where he lived almost all his life. His father was Phidias, the court astronomer of the ruler of the city of Hieron. Archimedes, like many other ancient Greek scientists, studied in Alexandria, where the rulers of Egypt, the Ptolemies, gathered the best Greek scientists and thinkers, and also founded the famous, largest library in the world. After studying in Alexandria, Archimedes returned to Syracuse again and inherited his father's position. In theoretical terms, the work of this great scientist was blindingly multifaceted. The main works of Archimedes concerned various practical applications of mathematics (geometry), physics, hydrostatics and mechanics. In his essay "Parabola of Quadrature", Archimedes substantiated the method for calculating the area of a parabolic segment, and he did this two thousand years before the discovery of integral calculus. In the work "On the measurement of a circle" Archimedes first calculated the number "pi" - the ratio of the circumference to the diameter - and proved that it is the same for any circle. We still use the system of naming integers invented by Archimedes. The mathematical method of Archimedes, connected with the mathematical works of the Pythagoreans and with the work of Euclid that completed them, as well as with the discoveries of Archimedes' contemporaries, led to the knowledge of the material space that surrounds us, to the knowledge of the theoretical form of objects located in this space, the form of a perfect, geometric form, to which objects more or less approach and whose laws must be known if we want to influence the material world. But Archimedes also knew that objects have more than just shape and dimension: they move, or can move, or remain stationary under the action of certain forces that move objects forward or bring them into balance. The great Syracusan studied these forces, inventing a new branch of mathematics in which material bodies, reduced to their geometric form, retain at the same time their gravity. This geometry of weight is rational mechanics, it is statics, as well as hydrostatics, the first law of which was discovered by Archimedes (the law bearing the name of Archimedes), according to which a force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by it acts on a body immersed in a liquid. Once raising his leg in the water, Archimedes noted with surprise that his leg became lighter in the water. "Eureka! Found it!" he exclaimed as he stepped out of his bath. The anecdote is amusing, but, conveyed in this way, it is inaccurate. The famous "Eureka!" was uttered not in connection with the discovery of the law of Archimedes, as is often said, but with regard to the law of the specific gravity of metals - a discovery that also belongs to the Syracusan scientist and the detailed details of which we find in Vitruvius. It is said that one day Archimedes was approached by Hiero, the ruler of Syracuse. He ordered to check whether the weight of the golden crown corresponds to the weight of the gold allotted to it. To do this, Archimedes made two ingots, one of gold, the other of silver, each of the same weight as the crown. Then he put them in turn in a vessel with water, noted how much its level had risen. Having lowered the crown into the vessel, Archimedes found that its volume exceeds the volume of the ingot. So the dishonesty of the master was proved. The review of Cicero, the great orator of antiquity, who saw the "Archimedean sphere" - a model showing the movement of heavenly bodies around the Earth, is curious: "This Sicilian possessed a genius that, it would seem, human nature cannot achieve." And, finally, Archimedes was not only a great scientist, he was, moreover, a man passionate about mechanics. He tests and creates a theory of five mechanisms known in his time and called "simple mechanisms". These are a lever (“Give me a point of support,” said Archimedes, “and I will move the Earth”), a wedge, a block, an endless screw and a winch. It is Archimedes who is often credited with the invention of the infinite screw, but it is possible that he only improved the hydraulic screw, which served the Egyptians in draining swamps. Subsequently, these mechanisms were widely used in different countries of the world. Interestingly, an improved version of the water-lifting machine could be found at the beginning of the XNUMXth century in a monastery located on Valaam, one of the northern Russian islands. Today, the Archimedean screw is used, for example, in an ordinary meat grinder. The invention of the infinite screw led him to another important invention, even if it became commonplace, the invention of a bolt constructed from a screw and a nut. To those of his fellow citizens who would consider such inventions worthless, Archimedes presented decisive evidence to the contrary on the day when, having cunningly fitted a lever, screw and winch, he found a means, to the surprise of onlookers, to launch a heavy galley that had run aground, with everything her crew and cargo. Even more convincing proof he gave in 212 BC. During the defense of Syracuse from the Romans during the Second Punic War, Archimedes designed several war machines that allowed the townspeople to repel the attacks of the outnumbered Romans for almost three years. One of them was a system of mirrors, with which the Egyptians were able to burn the Roman fleet. This feat of his, which Plutarch, Polybius and Titus Livy told about, of course, aroused more sympathy among ordinary people than the calculation of the number "pi" - another feat of Archimedes, very useful in our time for students of mathematics. Archimedes died during the siege of Syracuse: he was killed by a Roman soldier at the moment when the scientist was absorbed in the search for a solution to the problem set before him. It is curious that, having conquered Syracuse, the Romans did not become the owners of the works of Archimedes. Only after many centuries they were discovered by European scientists. That is why Plutarch, one of the first to describe the life of Archimedes, mentioned with regret that the scientist did not leave a single work. Plutarch writes that Archimedes died at a ripe old age. A plate depicting a sphere and a cylinder was placed on his grave. She was seen by Cicero, who visited Sicily 137 years after the scientist's death. Only in the XVI-XVII centuries, European mathematicians were finally able to realize the significance of what was done by Archimedes two thousand years before them. He left numerous disciples. A whole generation of followers, enthusiasts rushed to the new path opened by him, who, like the teacher, were eager to prove their knowledge with concrete conquests. The first of these students was the Alexandrian Ctesibius, who lived in the XNUMXnd century BC. The inventions of Archimedes in the field of mechanics were in full swing when Ctesibius added to them the invention of the gear wheel. Author: Samin D.K.
▪ Ostrogradsky Mikhail. Biography
Machine for thinning flowers in gardens
02.05.2024 Advanced Infrared Microscope
02.05.2024 Air trap for insects
01.05.2024
▪ Adults and children perceive time differently. ▪ Energy from the air will recharge the smartphone ▪ Obesity Protection: Genetic Mutations as an Influencing Factor ▪ GUI Controlled Digital Power Controllers for Point-of-Load Systems
▪ section of the site Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering. Article selection ▪ article Well, how not to please your dear little man? Popular expression ▪ article Which people can perceive ultraviolet radiation and in what form? Detailed answer ▪ article Safe motorcycle carburetor. Personal transport ▪ article Two beams from one. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering
Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews
www.diagram.com.ua |
We recommend interesting articles Section 
See other articles Section 
Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:
All languages of this page