# Archimedes

**Type:** Person  
**Domain:** Geometry  
**Born:** c. 287 BCE, Syracuse, Sicily  
**Died:** 212 BCE, Syracuse (Roman siege)  
**Codex URL:** /mathematics/geometry/archimedes/  
**Entry status:** Live — v1.0 (2026-05-27)

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## Summary

Greek mathematician, physicist, and engineer. Widely regarded as the greatest mathematician of antiquity. Bounded π, invented the method of exhaustion (anticipating integral calculus by ~1,900 years), founded hydrostatics and statics. Killed during the Roman capture of Syracuse.

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## Key contributions

- **π bounds:** 223/71 < π < 22/7 (Measurement of a Circle)
- **Sphere and cylinder:** V(sphere) = (2/3)V(cylinder); considered his greatest result
- **Method of exhaustion:** proto-integral calculus for areas and volumes
- **Archimedes' Principle:** buoyant force = weight of displaced fluid
- **Law of the lever:** mechanical advantage from fulcrum distance ratios

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## The Archimedes Palimpsest

*The Method of Mechanical Theorems* was believed lost. Discovered underneath a 13th-century prayer book (Heiberg, 1906). Manuscript resurfaced at 1998 Christie's auction ($2 million). Advanced imaging (1999–2008) at Johns Hopkins/Stanford recovered hidden text, revealing Archimedes' heuristic (mechanical) method for discovering results before rigorous proof.

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## Sources

### Tier 1
- Heath, T.L. (2002 reprint). *The Works of Archimedes*. Dover.
- Netz, R. and Noel, W. (2007). *The Archimedes Codex*. Da Capo Press.

### Tier 2
- O'Connor, J.J. and Robertson, E.F. (1999). Archimedes of Syracuse. MacTutor.

### Tier 3
- Dijksterhuis, E.J. (1987). *Archimedes*. Princeton University Press.

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*Mathematics Codex entry v1.0 — added 2026-05-27 — thecodex.expert/mathematics/*