Who is the Father of Mathematics? Archimedes

Who is the Father of Mathematics? Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, is considered the Father of Mathematics. He has made a significant number of contributions to the field of mathematics. His contributions to the subject are in a number of fields such as geometry, mensuration, and number theory among others.

Table of Contents

• Father of Mathematics: Archimedes
• Biography of Archimedes
• Notable Works of Archimedes
• Archimedes' Awards and Recognition
• Influence of the Father of Mathematics
• Later Life of Archimedes

Father of Mathematics: Archimedes

Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician. His contributions to this subject are huge. The most popular invention of Archimedes in the field of mathematics is the relationship between the volume and surface area of a sphere and of the circumscribing cylinder.

Another significant invention made by this Greek mathematician is the principle of hydrostatics. This principle, taught in the secondary school levels, is called the Archimedes Principle.

Biography of Archimedes

Archimedes was a mathematician and physicist who lived in ancient Greece. He was born in c. 287 BC. His father was Phidias, who was an astronomer. Not much information is available about his mother or about his marriage.

Although he spent the initial years of his career in Egypt, he moved to Syracuse and spent the major part of his life here. Syracuse is a Greek city/state, situated in Sicily. Archimedes developed strong and durable equipment that defended Syracuse for a very long time from the Romans in 213 BC. When Rome captured Syracuse finally, Archimedes was killed.

Here are a few important facts about the life of Archimedes, the father of Mathematics:

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Notable Works of Archimedes

Archimedes has several contributions to the fields of mathematics and physics. In the field of mathematics, he has made many inventions in geometry, mensuration, numbers, etc. In the field of physics, his most prominent inventions are the Archimedes’ Principle and Archimedes’ Screw. Archimedes has worked on nine treatises on his physical and mathematical inventions and discoveries.

In Mathematics, he has written the book named On the Sphere and Cylinder. The book aims at finding out the surface area of a sphere. Archimedes’ formula for finding out the surface area of sphere is 4πr². 

The formula for finding out the volume of a sphere circumscribed by a cylinder is ⅔rd the volume of the cylinder, which is 4/34πr2. The father of mathematics had left behind the later instruction for the construction of his tomb. This was found by Marcus Tullius Cicero.

The other places where Archimedes has contributed include the book On Conoids and Spheroids, On the Equilibrium of Planets, Quadrature of the Parabola, The Sand Reckoner, On Floating Bodies, etc. The details about few of the most prominent books are given below:

On Sphere and Cylinder

This book deals with the various properties of spheres. The volume and surface area of the sphere can be found using the formula mentioned above.

On the Equilibrium of Planes

There are two books under ‘On the Equilibrium of Planes’. The first book primarily aims to find out the centre of gravity of the rectilinear figures along with that of a parabola and paraboloid. This book establishes the “law of lever”. This book has garnered several negative opinions as well, citing the theories as improper.

Quadrature of the Parabola

This is yet another significant contribution of Archimedes towards mathematics. This book has been written to prove that the area of any segment of the parabola is 4/3rd the area of the triangle having the same base and height as the segment of the parabola. The calculation is done both through mechanical and geometric methods.

Archimedes' Awards and Recognition

The most important discovery of Archimedes is his theory of hydrostatics. While there is no prominent award received by the father of mathematics, his contributions to the fields of mathematics and physics are held in high esteem. A total of 9 works of Archimedes were published as treatises. There are a number of works for which Archimedes has received recognition posthumously.

Influence of the Father of Mathematics

The achievement of Archimedes has been valued through the ages. He has been a source of inspiration. The most prominent impact of Archimedes’ work can be seen in the printed texts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The works of Archimedes have been translated into many different languages. Commandinio Frederico has translated a few of his works in Latin.

The works and findings of the father of mathematics are of paramount importance to mathematicians and scientists. Two prominent figures, whose works reflect the work of Archimedes are Rene Descartes and Pierre de Fermat.

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Later Life of Archimedes

Archimedes was born in c.287 BC in Syracuse, Sicily. The father of mathematics lived for a span of approximately seventy five years and died in c. 212 BC. There is a belief revolving around the death of the mathematician. According to the belief, Archimedes had been killed by one of the Roman soldiers, during Rome’s war with Sicily, after he had refused to quit his work on mathematics.