Great Thinkers: Archimedes

One of the legends about Archimedes is that he once said, 'Give me a place to stand and I shall move the Earth'. What Archimedes meant by this is that with a very large lever he could physically move the Earth. In this app students learn about the many significant contributions to mathematics and physics made by Archimedes. He developed formulas for calculating the area of a circle, and the surface area and volume of a sphere. He developed a method for approximating pi. Archimedes designed several ingenious devices including the odometer, the water screw, various pulley systems as well as several machines to help protect his hometown of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. Using this app students learn about Archimedes' amazing life. It includes introductory information about simple machines. It outlines some of Archimedes' major contributions to mathematics. We hope that this app will inspire students to pursue careers in math and science. Students will enjoy using this graphically illustrated, interactive learning tool. The map feature presents locations in the ancient Greek world. Diagrams illustrate some of the important ideas credited to Archimedes. Ideas that helped the development of our modern understanding of the physical world. A quiz function helps students demonstrate their comprehension of the reading material. Key science concepts are shown in colorful illustrations. We hope this app will inspire students to study math and science. The app shows that Archimedes certainly deserves a place in history as one of the all time great thinkers.