Page 39 - Resources

Number system

Unhappy with the unwieldy Greek number system, Archimedes proposed a number
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system capable of expressing numbers up to 8x10 in modern notation. He said that
this number was large enough to count the number of grains of sand which could be
fitted into the universe.

Centre of gravity

He then applied his calculations and methods of geometry to physical objects,

discovering fundamental theorems concerning the centre of gravity of plane figures
and solids.

End of war

In 241 BC, the First Punic War between Carthage and Rome ended. Fortunately,
Syracuse had made peace with Rome and was not involved in this 20 year battle.
Rome had gained control of all of Sicily outside of a small area surrounding
Syracuse. Archimedes was 46 at the time.

The next year, Hiero's son Gelo began co-ruling Syracuse with his father. There was
then relative peace for about 20 years.

In conclusion

Archimedes was born in Syracuse, Sicily, but he was educated in Egypt by followers

of the famous mathematician, Euclid. Upon his return to Syracuse, he became a
favorite of the king, to whom he was a distant relative. Archimedes spent his life
solving mathematical problems, including devising ways to calculate areas and
volumes, defining pi, and formulating integral calculus. War or the threat of war was
present for the first half of his life.

Lessons learned

Lessons learned from the life of Archimedes include:

• A good education is important

• Intelligent and wealthy parents can help your education

• Parents with good social connections are useful

• Observation and creativity can lead to greatness

• War and political forces can ruin people's lives

(Greek Grandeur, Hebrew Heart) 37