ARCHIMEDES

Alejandro Boza

7 C

March 3, 2010

Archimedes was born 287 BC in the seaport city of Syracuse, Sicily and died in 212 BC in Syracuse.

There is no written documentation that provides his exact birth date, whether he was married or had kids. Archimedes has said that his father's name was Phidias who was an astronomer. His biographical information was obtained by historians that indicated he lived for 75 years. It was also thought that he was related to the King Herion II the ruler of Syracuse. A biography of Archimedes was made by his friend but it was lost and never found. Therefore, there is no concrete information about these aspects of his life.

It is known thought the Archimedes was a brilliant Greek mathematician, engineer, astrologer, inventor and physicist. He was responsible for many inventions and most his inventions were created to help his own city of Syracuse. Below are a few of his inventions

Levers Hydrostatic The Archimedes Heat Ray The Claw of Archimedes The Golden Crown determines Archimedes Screw

The Archimedes Screw was invented because King Herion II of Syracruse wanted to have a large ship that could carry many things for fun and for war time. He wanted a great big ship that could carry over 500 people, has areas of recreation and worship and that could be used also as a naval ship when needed. Archimedes invented a way to be able to remove unwanted water from the ship. He invented a device that had a revolving screw shaped blade with a cylinder that was turned by hand to remove the water from the ship. They think that this device was used during Roman times to provide water to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. His invention was a great contribution to even our everyday life and is being used even now with liquids as well as coal and grain.

Below is what the Archimedes Screw looks like.

Archimedes was not only an inventor but also published many papers about his findings and about math. One important paper was found in 1906 that had been stored in a Monastery for many years until it was found. It was sold to a private collector most recently in 1998 and is stored in the United States in Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Archimedes has been honored in many ways over the year. A crater on the moon was named after him as well as an asteroid. His face has been put on many stamps in several countries over the year. His portrait is on the Fields Metal for outstanding service in math just to name a few.

In conclusion, Archimedes was a extraordinary person who devoted his life to making the world a better place. There is so much more to tell you about him that would take many pages but it is certain that he, even now, has had a huge affect on our lives today.