Lever
"Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the earth." -Archimedes
Archimedes spent a lot of time studying and solving problems for King Hiero of Syracuse. When Archimedes said this quote, King Hiero told him to prove it. Archimedes proved it by launching a ship with a large lever (Holt).
Archimedes proved the law of the lever with three assumptions:
Archimedes proved the law of the lever with three assumptions:
- Equal weights at equal distances from the fulcrum of a lever will balance. Equal weights at unequal distances from the fulcrum of a lever will not balance, but the weight at the greater distance will move that end of the lever down.
- Two equal weights will no longer balance if something is added to one of the weights. The side with the increased weight will go down.
- Two equal weights will no longer balance is something is taken away from of of the weights. The side with the decreased weight will go up (Lever Assumptions).
This picture shows Archimedes proving to King Hieron that he can move the earth by using a lever (Law of the Lever).
Screw
The Archimedes screw was originally a machine used for irrigation or raising water from a low to high area. It was also used to remove water from a large ship. It is made of a circular pipe with a rotating helix on the inside. When placed at an angle of about 45 degrees horizontally with its lower end in the water, the rotation of the screw causes the water to rise ("Archimedes screw").
This picture is a representation of how the Archimedes screw works ("Shaftless Screw Conveyors").
Modern Day Screws
One of Archimedes' legacies is his screw. His screw is still used today in many factories and industries, especially those involved with water treatment ("Archimedes screw").
This picture shows a modern day Afchimedes screw in a pumping station in Kinderdijk, Netherlands. Many modern screw pumps include rotating helices in open troughs that help pump sewage in water treatment plants. This allows debris to pass through without clogging ("Archimedes screw").
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Shown in the above picture, Northern Ireland Water just recently installed two new Archimedes screw pumps at Luke's Point pumping station in order to improve water and sewerage systems. These pumps will double the capacity of this site, reduce the risk of flooding, and help to meet the standards for water quality set by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency ("New Archimedes Screw Pumps").
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Claw
One of the major examples of Archimedes' leadership is the role he played in the defense of Syracuse against the Romans in 213 BC. King Hiero ordered Archimedes to help him build war machines to defend Syracuse against the Roman general, Marcellus. These war machines were so effective that they delayed the capture of Syracuse ("Archimedes").
Archimedes invented a catapult that was able to hurl 500 boulders at incoming soldiers on land. Since Syracuse was mostly surrounded by water, the Romans also attacked by sea. Archimedes invented large claws that were able to lift Marcellus' ships out of the sea and smash them against rocks (Holt).
Archimedes invented a catapult that was able to hurl 500 boulders at incoming soldiers on land. Since Syracuse was mostly surrounded by water, the Romans also attacked by sea. Archimedes invented large claws that were able to lift Marcellus' ships out of the sea and smash them against rocks (Holt).
This picture shows how Archimedes' worked and what it did the the Roman ships ("Archimedes' Claw").