In the very long line of Greek mathematicians from Thales of
Miletus and Pythagoras of Samos in the 6th century BC to Pappus
of Alexandria in the 4th century AD, Archimedes of Syracuse (287
- 212 BC) is the undisputed leading figure. His pre-eminence is
the more remarkable when we consider that this dazzling
millenium of mathematics contains so many illustrious names,
including Anaxagoras, Zeno, Hippocrates, Theodorus, Eudoxus,
Euclid, Eratosthenes, Apollonius, Hipparchus, Heron, Menelaus,
Ptolemy and Diophantus. (See the St Andrews archive History of
Mathematics for information about these mathematicians.)
Although his main claim to fame is as a mathematician,
Archimedes is also known for his many discoveries and inventions
in physics and engineering, which include the following. Before
discussing the work covered in his book Measurement of the
Circle , we mention briefly a few of the other significant
contributions which Archimedes made to mathematics. 1. C H
Edwards. The Historical Development of the Calcu