Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 29, 2008



Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, astronomer and engineer. Although little is known of his life, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics and the explanation of the principle of the lever. His early use of calculus included the first known summation of an infinite series with a method that is still used today. He is also credited with designing innovative machines, including weapons and the screw pump that bears his name. He is best known for allegedly exclaiming "Eureka!" after discovering what is known today as Archimedes' principle. Archimedes died during the Siege of Syracuse, when he was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders that he should not be harmed. The relatively few copies of his treatises that survived through the Middle Ages were an influential source of ideas for scientists during the Renaissance. The historians of Ancient Rome showed a strong interest in Archimedes and wrote accounts of his life and works, while the discovery of previously unknown works by Archimedes in the Archimedes Palimpsest has provided new insights into how he obtained mathematical results. Carl Friedrich Gauss is said to have remarked that Archimedes was one of the three epoch-making mathematicians, with the others being Sir Isaac Newton and Ferdinand Eisenstein. (more...)

Recently featured: Battle of Ramillies – Hamlet – Daniel Boone