Archimedes of Syracuse
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor and weapons-designer from the ancient city of Syracuse in Sicily. Archimedes is known as the Father Of Mathematics. Archimedes was serving the King Hiero II of Syracuse by solving mathematical problems and by developing interesting innovations for the king and his army.
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor and weapons-designer from the ancient city of Syracuse in Sicily. Archimedes is known as the Father Of Mathematics. Archimedes was serving the King Hiero II of Syracuse by solving mathematical problems and by developing interesting innovations for the king and his army.
Born: c. 287 BC; Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Died: c. 212 BC; Syracuse, Italy
Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Archimedes was born in the Greek city-state of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. His father, Phidias, was an astronomer. From his childhood, Archimedes took an interest in studying science, mathematics, and politics. Throughout his entire life, Archimedes was fascinated with mathematical equations and problem-solving. Archimedes’s family also supported him in getting a proper education. This was probably the reason for which he joined the School of Mathematics, which is in Egypt. Archimedes may also have been related to Hiero II, King of Syracuse.Archimedes spent most of his life in Syracuse. As a young man he spent time in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, where Alexander the Great’s successor, Ptolemy Lagides, had built the world’s greatest library.Archimedes is considered the father of mathematics because of his notable inventions in mathematics and science. He was in the service of King Hiero II of Syracuse.
At that time, he developed many inventions. Archimedes made out a pulley system designed to help the sailors move objects up and down that are weighty.
Archimedes has configured diverse mathematical concepts to solve mathematical problems. The ‘method of exhaustion’ is developed by Archimedes to measure the areas of shapes. Quantifying the value of PI is the result of his ‘method of exhaustion.’
This step of most outstanding achievement is used in mathematics to calculate the measurement of a circle. Through this method, Archimedes established the relationship between spheres and cylinders. He studied the area and surface of a circle as well as a parabola.
Archimedes is one of the earlier mathematicians who studied the uses of prime numbers. He brought out the concept of infinity. He devised a weapon which is called the claw of Archimedes. This claw was made to defend the city wall’s seaward portion against any sort of military assault. It was a defence mechanism to resist the attack of Roman general Marcellus.
Among his discoveries, Archimedes Screw is best known. Archimedes screw consists of an empty cylinder and a hollow spiral either inside or outside the cylinder. The screw, with its rotation, shifts the water from a lower plane place to a higher place.
This invention was used to take away water from the hold of a ship. The Archimedes screw let water flow upwards. In today’s date also, the Egyptian people are using this highly helpful method for the irrigation of crops. Farmers use this technique, especially in arid places.
Archimedes’ principle is one of the major throwbacks in the history of Science. Archimedes’s principle was conceived by the Greek mathematician while serving King Hieron. Behind this groundbreaking invention, there is a story of the king and Archimedes himself. King Hieron ordered or received a crown that is made of gold. But when he received it, he doubted it.
He thought that it was silver instead of gold. The king offered Archimedes the responsibility to check whether it is of gold or silver. During the bath, Archimedes looked at the movement of the water body. He submerged the crown, and as a result, it displaces the water, which is equal to its volume.
Archimedes became so excited and came up shouting ‘Eureka,’ ‘Eureka.’ He realized that an object’s size could be measured by placing it in water. It can be estimated through how much the water moved. In the latter period, it became famous as the Archimedes principle.
Archimedes is a prominent figure in mathematics. His invention facilitated many more modern technological innovations. He wrote several works that helped in developing many concepts.
His important works are like ‘On the Equilibrium of Planes,’ ‘On the Measurement of a Circle,’ ‘On Spirals,’ The Sand Reckoner.’ In the course of history, Archimedes made several contributions to the field of mathematics. Therefore, he is considered the ‘father of mathematics’ because of his important contribution to mathematics.
His contributions:
• invented the sciences of mechanics and hydrostatics.
• discovered the laws of levers and pulleys, which allow us to move heavy objects using small forces.
• invented one of the most fundamental concepts of physics – the center of gravity.
• calculated pi to the most precise value known. His upper limit for pi was the fraction 22⁄7. This value was still in use in the late 20th century, until electronic calculators finally laid it to rest.
• discovered and mathematically proved the formulas for the volume and surface area of a sphere.
• showed how exponents could be used to write bigger numbers than had ever been thought of before.
• proved that to multiply numbers written as exponents, the exponents should be added together.
• directly inspired Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton to investigate the mathematics of motion. Archimedes’ surviving works (tragically, many have been lost) finally made it into print in 1544.
• was one of the world’s first mathematical physicists, applying his advanced mathematics to the physical world.
• was the first person to apply lessons from physics – such as the law of the lever – to solve problems in pure mathematics.
• invented war machines such as a highly accurate catapult that stopped the Romans conquering Syracuse for years. He may have done this by understanding the mathematics of projectile trajectory.
• inspired what we now believe are myths including a mirror system to burn attacking ships using the sun’s rays, and jumping from his bath, then running naked through the streets of Syracuse shouting ‘Eureka’ meaning ‘I’ve found it’ after realising how he could prove whether the king’s gold crown had silver in it.
The Library of Alexandria, with its meeting rooms and lecture halls, had become the focal point for scholars in the ancient world.Immersed in the scientific culture of Ancient Greece, Archimedes blossomed into one of the finest minds our world has known. He was the Einstein of his time, or perhaps we should say that Einstein was the Archimedes of his time

Archimedes of Syracuse
Date of Birth: 28 Jun 2025
Birth Place: c. 287 BC; Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Proffession: Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor and weapons-designer
Nationality: Italian
Death: c. 212 BC; Syracuse, Italy