Archimedes of Syracuse was considered one of the most important intellectual figures of ancient Greece carrying out work in physics, astronomy, engineering and, for which he was most recognized, mathematics.
Among his most notable works are the foundations of hydrostatics and statics, as well as being the first to approximate the number Pi almost exactly.
In this article you will find a selection of the best phrases of Archimedes commented.
Thanks to their work, we were able to obtain the first knowledge of mathematics and physics. A curiosity about this character is that he is credited with the term Eureka! that expresses the enthusiasm of deciphering something.
Due to his importance as a historical and inspiring figure, below we will review the most notable phrases of Archimedes.
1. Eureka!
A popular phrase to express satisfaction when we find the answer to something His story is quite interesting since it is said that Archimedes ran naked through the bathroom excited by him when he discovered that he could measure the density of objects by measuring the displacement of an object through the water with respect to its weight. . All said by Vitruvius Pollio.
2. Give me a foothold and I will move the earth.
Showing confidence in your ability to discover complex things about the world.
3. I learn that some, whether my contemporaries or my successors, by means of the method, once established, will also be able to discover other theorems, which have not yet occurred to me.
Talking about the ability to discover more things from the method of mechanics.
4. There are things that seem incredible to most men who have not studied Mathematics.
Mathematics governs almost everything in the world From shapes to sounds.
5. I will state the first theorem that came to my knowledge through mechanics, namely, that any segment of a section of a cone at right angles (i.e., a parabola) is four thirds of the triangle having the same base e equal height.
A reference to how he would begin his work and the texts that would be included in it.
6. Man has always learned from the past.
It is necessary to learn the lessons of our past to build a better future.
7. From the last proposition it immediately follows that the center of gravity of any triangle is at the intersection of the lines drawn from any two angles to the midpoints of the opposite sides, respectively.
A reference to his approach to gravity in a triangular space.
8. He who tried and did not succeed is superior to the one who did not even try.
By trying something, even if you don’t succeed, it is possible to have a little satisfaction. Instead of carrying the regret of not having done it.
9. The diameter of the earth is greater than the diameter of the moon and the diameter of the sun is greater than the diameter of the earth.
A sample of his works regarding astronomy.
10. In any triangle, the center of gravity is located on the straight line joining any angle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
A reference to how gravity works within a space.
11. Those who claim to discover everything, but find no evidence, can be considered to have actually attempted to discover the impossible.
You can always make an approximation of something by knowing it But sometimes the truth can remain a mystery.
12. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Straight lines are a quick path to a point.
13. Rise above yourself and grasp the world.
Keep an open mind and remain open to the curiosities of the world.
14. This procedure is … no less useful even for the proof of the theorems themselves; because certain things were first made clear to me by a mechanical method, although later they had to be demonstrated by geometry.
Things can have an origin but they can also be derived in other ways.
16. He who knows how to speak also knows when to be silent.
You not only have to be sure of knowing what to say, but also when to remain silent.
17. I’ve done it!
The way we can translate Eureka!
18. I am convinced that the method of mechanical theorems will be very useful for mathematics.
For Archimedes, everything has a certain relationship with mathematics.
19. A look back is worth more than one forward.
Looking back we can analyze our failures to better overcome an obstacle.
20. Every body immersed in a liquid experiences a vertical and upward thrust equal to the weight of liquid displaced.
About the effect of water on objects.
21. Who knows what to do, also knows when.
Sometimes you have to wait for the right moment instead of being the fastest.
22. The center of gravity of any hemisphere is on the straight line that is its axis, and it divides said straight line in such a way that the portion adjacent to the surface of the hemisphere has with the remaining portion the relationship that 5 has to 3.
His discovery of gravity in triangles later allowed him to create theories about gravity between distances.
23. Certain things, although at first they are clarified to me using mechanical devices, later have to be proven geometrically, since that method does not provide authentic demonstrations.
Geometry allows us to visualize theories.
24. The magnitudes are in balance at distances reciprocally proportional to their weights.
Balance is achieved by balancing the weights in a similar way.
25. Mathematics reveals its secrets only to those who approach it with pure love, for its own beauty.
The passion for mathematics.
26. Play is a fundamental condition for being serious.
We cannot take everything to heart, it is also necessary to have a player’s spirit.
27. I will give each of the other theorems investigated by the same method. Then, at the end of the book, I will give proofs of the geometric propositions.
Another reference to the way he would put his book together and how it ends.
28. The center of gravity of any parallelogram lies on the straight line joining the midpoints of the opposite sides.
Balance allows maintaining an adequate flow between points.
29. Dreams are the hopes of fools.
It is good to dream, but not to remain clinging to illusions.
30. Aristarchus of Samos published a book containing some hypotheses, in which the premises led to the result that the size of the universe is many times greater than what is now called by this name.
Referring to the work of one of his predecessors.
31. Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum to place it on, and I will move the world.
Referring to the way in which it can explain various natural phenomena.
32. Of course, if we have previously acquired, through the mechanical method, certain knowledge of the problems, it is easier to find the demonstrative way.
For Archimedes, the mechanical method is the beginning of many sciences.
33. Don’t bother my circles.
Never stop to criticize other people’s passions.
34. The center of gravity of any cone is the point that divides its axis so that the portion adjacent to the vertex is triple.
Another reference to how gravity works.
35. I thought it convenient… to explain in detail in the same book the peculiarity of a certain method, by which it will be possible… to investigate some of the problems of mathematics by means of mechanics.
Archimedes tried to be as detailed as he could in his book.
36. Every body immersed in a liquid experiences a vertical and upward thrust equal to the weight of liquid displaced.
Talking about his discovery of the movement that objects achieve when they touch water
37. How many geometry theorems that at first seemed impracticable were successfully solved!
Things that seemed unattainable before can now be part of everyday life.
38. Equal weights at equal distances are in balance and equal weights at unequal distances are not in balance, but rather lean towards the weight at the greater distance.
To maintain a correct balance, objects must share the same qualities.
39. Two magnitudes, whether commensurable or incommensurable, balance each other at distances reciprocally proportional to the magnitudes.
It does not matter if the elements have differences from each other, as long as they maintain some similarities in weight and distance.
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40. Their hypotheses are that the fixed stars and the Sun remain motionless, that the Earth rotates around the Sun in the circumference of a circle, with the Sun located in the center of the orbit, and that the sphere of the fixed stars, situated around the same center as the Sun, it is so large that the circle in which the Earth is supposed to rotate is in the same proportion to the distance from the fixed stars as the center of the sphere is to its surface.
About the work of Aristarchus of Samos that represented an innovation for the astronomy of the time.
