Skip to main content

Part of the book series: History of Mechanism and Machine Science ((HMMS,volume 1))

Abstract

Archimedes (ca. 287–212 BC) was born in Syracuse, in the Greek colony of Sicily. He studied mathematics at the Museum in Alexandria. Archimedes systematized the design of simple machines and the study of their functions. He was probably the inventor of the compound pulley and developed a rigorous theory of levers and the kinematics of the screw. He is the founder of statics and of hydrostatics, and his machine designs fascinated subsequent writers. Archimedes was both a great engineer and a great inventor, but his books concentrated on applied mathematics and mechanics and rigorous mathematical proofs. Archimedes was also known as an outstanding astronomer; his observations of solstices were used by other astronomers of the era.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Archimedes-Apanta, (The Works of Archimedes) Vol. 1, On the Sphere and the Cylinder, Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Archimedes-Apanta, (The Works of Archimedes) Vol. 2, Measurement of the Circle, Conoids and Spheroids, Spiral Lines, Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Archimedes-Apanta, (The Works of Archimedes) Vol. 3, Planes in Equilibrium, Quadrature of the Parabola, The first and second book On Floating Bodies (Peri ton ochumenon-de Corporibus Fluztantzbus), Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Archimedes-Apanta, (The Works of Archimedes) Vol. 4, Stomachion, The Method(Pros Eratostenis Efodos, Book of lemmas, The Cattle Problem (Problems Bovinum), Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Archimedes-Apanta, (The Works of Archimedes) Vol. 5, Eutocius’ commentaries to Books, Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Archimedes-Apanta, (The Works of Archimedes) Vol. 6, References, Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, E.T., Men of Mathematics, Penguin, London, 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendick, J., Archimedes and the Door of Science, Bethlehem Books, Ignatius Press, Warsaw, ND San Francisco, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clagett M., Archimedes in the Middle Ages, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chondros T.G., “In Memoriam” to Professor Dimarogonas, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 244(1), 2001, 21–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chondros T.G., “Deus-Ex-Machina” Reconstruction and Dynamics, in International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms, Proceedings HMM2004, M. Ceccarelli (Ed.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004, pp. 87–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicero (106-43 BC), De Re Publica, Book I, Sections 21–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Solla Price D., Gears from the Greeks The Antikythera Mechanism-A Calendar Computer from ca. 80 B.C., Science History Publications, New York, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dijksterhuis, E. J., Archimedes, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., History of Technology, Symmetry Publ., Athens, 1st Ed., 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., The Origins of Vibration Theory, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 140(2), 1990, 181–189.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., The Origins of Experimental Physics, Transactions of the Academy of Athens, 48, 1990, 231–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., The Origins of the Theory of Machines and Mechanisms, in Proceedings 40 Years of Modern Kinematics: A Tribute to Ferdinand Freudenstein Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 1991, pp. 1–2 to 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., A Brief History of Rotor Dynamics, Keynote Address: Rotordynamics 92, Venice. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1992, pp. 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., Mechanisms of the Ancient Greek Theatre, in Mechanism Conference, Proceedings ASME, Mechanism Design and Synthesis, DE-46, 1992, pp. 229–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., The Origins of Engineering Design, in ASME Design Engineering Conferences, Albuquerque NM, DE-Vol. 63, Vibrations of Mechanical Systems and the History of Mechanical Design, 1993, pp. 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., On the Axiomatic Foundation of Design, in ASME Design Engineering Conferences, Albuquerque, NM, DE-Vol. 53, Design Theory and Methodology, 1993, pp. 253–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., Impact Engineering and the Persian Wars, in ASME Summer Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., Vibration for Engineers, 2nd Edition, Prentice-Hall, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, 1, 54–75, Philosophical Issues in Engineering Design, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., Machine Design A CAD Approach, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D., History of Technology, Macedonian Publications, Athens, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimarogonas, A.D and Chondros, T.G., International Conference on Ancient Greek Technology, SPS Olympia, Greece. Deus Ex Machina Design and Reconstruction, 2001 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolin, A. and Busoni, R., Great Men of Science, Hart Publishing, New York, 1960.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eureka, The Journal of the Archimedeans, 53, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, M. and Fisher, L.E., Archimedes: Mathematician and Inventor, MacMillan, Collier-MacMillan, New York/London, 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Great Books of The Western World, Vol. 11, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1952.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartenberg, R.S. and Denavit, J., Kinematic Synthesis of Linkages, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, T.L., The Method of Archimedes Recently Discovered by Heiberg; A Supplement to the Works of Archimedes, 1897, Cambridge 1912.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, T.L., History of Greek Mathematics, The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1921; Dover, New York, 1981.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, T.L., The Works of Archimedes, Dover Publications, New York, 2002.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Heiberg, I.L., Archimedis Opera Omnia,I-III CVM COMMENTARIIS EVTOCII, STVGAR-DIAE IN AEDIBVS B.G. TEVBNERIMCMLXXII, Stuttgart, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, D., A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times, Open Court Pub. Co., LaSalle, IL, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huxley, A., Young Archimedes, and Other Stories, H. Doran, New York, 1924.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazos, C.D., Archimedes: The Ingenious Engineer, Aiolos Publishers, Athens, 1995 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Netz, R., The Shaping of Deduction in Greek Mathematics, Cambridge University Press, UK, 1999.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Netz, R., The Works of Archimedes, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2004.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, J. and Robertson, E.F., MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Fife, Scotland, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pappus of Alexandria (4th century AD), Mathematical Collections, Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollux, Julius, Onomasticon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plutarch (AD 45–120), Parallel Lives: Marcellus (Translation by John Dryden (1631–1700)), Kaktos Publications, Athens, 2002 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, H., Time’s Arrow and Archimedes’ Point, Oxford University Press, New York, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proclus Diadochus (5th century AD), Commentary on Euclidk Elements 1, Friedlein Ed.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russel, B., The Problems of Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1912.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saccheri’s Girolamo, Euclides Vindicatus, Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stamatis, E., Archimedes-Apanta Vols 1–3. Technical Chamber of Greece, Athens, 1973 [in Greek].

    Google Scholar 

  • Soedel, W. and Foley, V., Ancient Catapults, Scientific American, 240, 1979, 120–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soedel, W. and Foley, V., Catapults, Surviving Greek and Roman Texts Reveal the Remarkable Level of Mathematical and Engineering Skill That Went into the Development of These Early Ballistic-Missile Launchers, Scientific American, 1979, 150–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroedinger, E., Nature and the Greeks, Cambridge University Press, London, 1954.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Simms, D., Archimedes the Engineer History of Technology, Vol. 17, Continuum International Publishing Group, London, 1995, pp. 45–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simms, D., Archimedes’ Weapons of War and Leonardo, The British Journal for the History of Science, bf 21, 1988, 195–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitruvius, M.P., 1st Century AD. De Architectura, v. 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead, A.N., An Introduction to Mathematics, Williams & Norgate, London, 1911, Oxford University Press, 1958.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

Web sites

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2007 Springer

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Chondros, T.G. (2007). Archimedes (287–212 BC). In: Ceccarelli, M. (eds) Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6366-4_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6366-4_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-6365-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-6366-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics