Greece is not in vain is considered the cradle of Western culture, because it is on this blessed land, washed by the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, lived and created brilliant scientists.A list of the names of the people who laid the foundations of modern science, could take more than one page.We stop at one of them - mathematics, physics, engineering.Information about his really great minds are numerous, and the legend of Archimedes is known to every schoolchild.We'll tell you what kind of person and what he obliged all generations.
little about geniuses
legend of Archimedes, of course, interesting.But first we want to talk a little bit about the scientist.Biographies of famous Greek came to us in the presentation of classical authors like Livy, Vitruvius, Cicero, Polybius, Plutarch.Each of them lived much later Archimedes, so you can not argue that the events described by them are true.
future genius was born in Syracuse in Sicily.Perhaps Archimedes was a relative of the governor of the city of Hiero II.Passion for science he instilled his father, Phidias, the famous astronomer and mathematician.And he studied in Alexandria, the largest cultural and scientific center of the time.
Long before there was the legend of Archimedes, genius met with outstanding people, Conon and Eratosthenes, which then corresponded life.He would sit for hours in the famous library, which has collected over seven hundred thousand manuscripts.In it Archimedes had the opportunity to get acquainted with the works of Democritus and Eudoxus, to which he often referred to later in his writings.
Biographers say that, after finishing training, Archimedes returned to his hometown, where he enjoyed the respect and not in need of funds.
Scientific and crown
There is not a legend of Archimedes, a lot of them, because the scientist and then something invented, studied, I worked.The most popular of them is familiar to us from school.This is the legend of Archimedes about the crown.Briefly describe its essence.
Once cruel king Hiero wanted to check whether it did not disappoint jeweler by making for him a golden crown.He ordered the scientist to determine whether its decoration made of pure precious metal.The difficulty in determining the scope of the corona as it had irregular shapes.Reflecting on the task, Archimedes found a way to deal with it: to immerse your product in water and measure the amount of fluid it displaces.At the same time as the legend of Archimedes, genius exclaimed, "Eureka!", Which means "found".And science is the discovery of hydrostatic entered as the Archimedes' principle.
How to turn Earth?
But we know, and another legend of Archimedes (photo below).Biographers tell us that the ruler of Syracuse ordered to build a heavy mnogopalubny ship, which was intended as a gift to Ptolemy, the Egyptian king.But after the water it did not succeed, and here come to the aid of Archimedes.He built an entire system around the ship blocks and using the power of leverage to easily cope with the task.It was then born inventor of the aphorism: "Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world."
Saved Syracuse
amazing inventions of the scientist rescued his home town from destruction.This is another legend of Archimedes (in physics, you certainly studied it).Thus, according to biographers engineering genius, in 212 BC.e.Roman legions besieged Syracuse.At the time of the Second Punic War, our hero was about 75 years old.But his mind was still fast and curious.
So, Archimedes developed drawings powerful catapults that threw stones army commander Marcellus.To escape from this fire, the Roman army rushed to the walls of Syracuse.But there they also got a nasty surprise - light catapults.In addition, citizens (perhaps with the help of a scientist) built cranes, ships are seized, lifted them up and throw down and drowned.The invaders retreated.
Another version has it that the fleet of the Eternal City during the siege had been burned by fire, which originated in the application of mirrors or incendiary.However, if the previous legends have been tested and confirmed by modern scientists, the fire of Syracuse is considered a beautiful fairy tale.End of life
a result of betrayal Syracuse yet been captured by the Romans in the year.Archimedes, who saved the city before, was killed.There are four versions of the scientist's death, but they all boil down to the fact that the old man hacked to death by soldiers.Warlord Marcellus was very angry to learn of the death of a famous person, and gave him a decent burial.The killers were executed.Today in Syracuse, you can see the stone tomb of Archimedes, built two centuries after his death.But scientists continue to live in the hearts of the people as the most famous inventor of the past, as the savior of his native city, and devoted servant of science.
