The great Archimedes

de Mario Geymonat, R. Alden Smith

"A major contribution. Geymonat ensures that Archimedes will continue to be an example of mathematical genius for generations to come."--The Foreword by Zhores I. Alferov, Winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Physics. In this exclusive English edition of the elucidating and award-winning investigation of the life of the Greek Archimedes, Mario Geymonat provides fresh insights into one of the greatest minds in the history of humankind. Archimedes (ca 287 BCE -- ca 212 BCE) was a mathematician, physicist, scientist, and engineer. Born in Syracuse, Sicily, he was an inventor par excellence. He not only explored the displacement of water and sand, worked out the principle of levers, developed an approximation of pi, discovered ways to determine the areas and volumes of solids, and created the monumental Archimedes' screw (a machine for raising water), Archimedes also developed machinery that his fellow Syracusans successfully employed to defend their city against the Romans. In translation for the first time, this highly acclaimed, wonderfully illustrated telling of Archimedes' life and mind is sure to be cherished by experts and novices alike. --Book Jacket.