Archimedes and the Measurement of Area and Volume (The New Mathematics for the Millions Book 11)

Archimedes holds a unique place in the annals of mathematicians. Born in Syracuse in 287 B.C., he was the pre-eminent mathematician and scientist of his age. He would go on to study at the Great Library and University in Alexandria and would leave a lasting legacy equal, or even surpassing, the likes of Euclid, Pythagoras, Aristarchus or Eratosthenes. His works would be translated from Greek into Arabic, in the first millennium of the modern age and then from Arabic to Latin during the Renaissance, and would inspire the likes of Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Gauss. In fact, Galileo would become known in some circles during the Renaissance as “the New Archimedes.” In the 21st century, Archimede’s works are still read and admired even today. Archimedes is remembered for his work on π, and in the mathematical technique known as the Method of Exhaustian used to determine the Area and Volumes of figures – a technique that had been invented a century before by Eudoxus of Alexandria ( 400 – 350 B.C. ) and has been carried over and incorporated into the more modern mathematics found in Integral Calculus. Archimedes and the Method of Exhaustian is the main subject of this book.