Rediscover Archimedes
Museum and Technopark
The Arkimedeion is a science and technology museum dedicated to the
great Greek mathematician and phisicist : Archimedes was a real genius,
one of the leading scientists of classical antiquity and it is important that
the city of his birthplace has dedicated a museum to him.
Archimedes was the greatest mathematician of antiquity. Born in Syracuse in 287
B.C., he lived under the reign of Hiero II. When he was young he travelled to
Egypt where the Alexandrian mathematics was flourishing. He died in Syracuse at
the age of 75 in 212 B.C., accidentally killed a Roman soldier who didn’t recognize
him, as the Roman Consul wanted him alive.
The treatise One the Sphere and Cylinder tackles the problem of the
relationship between the volume and area of the two geometric figures.
One of the results that gave Archimedes the greatest satisfaction was
demonstrating that a sphere has a volume equal to 2/3 of the cylinder in
which it is inscribed.
Paraboloids: burning mirrors
The principle discovered by Archimedes stated that a
parabolic mirror reflects all the rays that arrive parallel to
the axis of the parabola towards a precise point, where the
radiation beam is concentrated: the focus of the parabola.
The studies of Archimedes on the geometric properties of the parabola may be
considered the basis for numerous achievements of today’s technology.
Parabola antennas, with which we receive satellite television, exploit precisely
the properties of the parabola. Similarly, large radio telescopes work on the
same principle.
Archimedes dedicated a treatise, On Spirals, to the figure in which he is the
first to succeed in finding the proof of the area of the first ring of the spiral.
The methods employed by Archimedes to obtain this result are the
forerunners of modern differential geometry.
To commemorate his brilliant discovery of the π, “Pi
day” is celebrated each year on 14 March. In some
Anglo-Saxon countries in fact, dates are
conventionally written putting the number that
indicates the month first (in this case 3) and then the
number that indicates the day, so 14, with 3,14 being
precisely the value of pi reached by Archimedes.
A group of scholars currently working on the Ostomachion have
indicated that there are clues to suggest that Archimedes had indeed
prepared his geometric theorems thanks to the Ostomachion.
The columns of the temple represent Archimedes’ perceptions sustaining
the major disciplines of modern mathematics.
A versatile genius, a guide for
mathematicians, physicist and
astronomers that showed to be a master
in the art of war. Archimedes made a
contribution to the defence of Syracuse
against Roman siege during the Second
Punic War. He invented various war
machines such as the Crossbow,
Catapult, the Scorpion.
According to the legend on the advice of
Archimedes, several hundred Syracusans
with their mirrors reflected the rays of the
sun onto particular points of the enemy
ships, while the soldiers threw incendiary
lances above the reflected beams
The photo represents what is called the “tomb of Archimedes”.
But it is actually a Roman columbarium, that is a Roman burial
chamber provided with two rows of niches for placement of urns. In
fact this morgue can’t be the one of the great scientist from
Syracuse, as it has been dated between the first century B.C. and
the first century A.D. The actual tomb of the scientist of Syracuse,
discovered by Cicero, was to have a column which a sphere with a
circumscribed cylinder was shown.
On the 18th May in the Auditorium of our school there has been
the presentation of the book “Archimedes – Precursor of
centuries and millenniums”. Sister Teresa Fichera’s intention,
book’s author, is to raise awareness about the genius of
Syracuse. This passionate search about Archimedes proceeds in
the convinction that “from the lap of the past grow qualities and
consciousness of the present”.