Archimedes

Archimedes was one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians of all time. He created numerous sciences, like mechanics and hydrostatics, made contributions to astronomy, geometry, trigonometry, numeration, and prefigured some of the key insights of calculus. He was responsible for figuring out how to apply simple machines to any number of different uses, most notably to irrigating fields with the Archimedean Screw and defending Syracuse against the Romans with his war machines, some of which used levers to flip ships and polished metal to set other ships on fire.

Archimedes was born in Syracuse, Sicily in 287 B.C. and was a Greek citizen. His father, Phidias, was an astronomer as he would be. Archimedes was raised with an elite education and once he finished formal schooling, he left for Alexandria to study on his own with colleagues at the Museum and the famous Library of Alexandria.

When he...