Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician, philosopher, and inventor. It seems, however, that he did not think as much of his numerous inventions--important and fundamental as they were--as he did of his work in the field of mathematics. He felt his mechanical toys were not the most important pursuit of a mathematician-philosopher.

Archimedes was born around 287 B.C. in Syracuse, a town in the Greek colony of Sicily. His father was the astronomer Phidias, and he was related to the tyrant Hieron II (308 B.C."-216 or 215 B.C.). Archimedes went to Alexandria about 250 B.C. to study under Conon and other mathematicians who had studied under Euclid (ca. 300 B.C.). He later returned to Syracuse where he apparently stayed the rest of his life. Archimedes performed countless experiments on screws, levers, and pulleys. The Archimedean screw, also called a water snail, is still used in certain parts...