Hero from the Past
"Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world." These are the words of the Greek mathematician and inventor, Archimedes. This quote speaks of both his theorems and his whole life career. The things he did in his life changed the world for the better. Archimedes was born in Syracuse during 212 B.C. His father was an astronomer by the name of Phidias and was one of the reasons why Archimedes lived as a scientist. Archimedes moved to Alexandria around 250 B.C. to learn under the best mathematicians there. After finishing his studies, he returned to his birth town of Syracuse and lived there till his death. During his lifetime, he tried his hand in both math and science, being quite successful in both subjects. Of all the traits a hero could possess, intelligence and fearlessness are a few of the more important traits. The intelligence to help those around him and to know what is right from wrong is essential for any hero. The fearlessness to not back down from what's right is also a very big requirement. Archimedes possess both intelligence and fearlessness in abundant amounts as he stood up against the Roman Empire for his people and invented loads of things that helped both the people around him and people all around the globe, making him a true hero.
Archimedes was well known in history as one of the smartest and most inventive people alive, using his creative gifts to help and support those around him through his intelligence. Even though his time has long past, the work he did has throughly influenced the math we use today. "Archimedes made major contributions to the fields of geometry and mechanics, and laid the groundwork for the much later development of logarithms and calculus." One of the most useful tools in math was the development of logarithms and calculus. These two postulates are useful and have been put to good use. What Archimedes did when he created the foundation for these things was something amazing. He added a huge amount of knowledge to the deep well of the human understanding of math. He improved the common knowledge and helped all of humanity in doing so. The things Archimedes found out about back in the past was both useful and inspirational to several people. Included in this list of people inspired by Archimedes is Galileo, another one of histories prominent figures of discovery. More than just math, Archimedes also built upon our practical knowledge of several basic tools. "Archimedes contributed to knowledge concerning at least three of five simple machines--winch, pulley, lever, wedge, and screw--known to antiquity." As the quote says, Archimedes used his intelligence to improve what were vital tools back in the past. He fully explained how these machinations worked and improved the basic designs its max potential. A true hero, because making these improvements made things much easier for the common people when they were working. Archimedes used all his practical knowledge in benefiting and helping the working people. He made the pulley much more efficient, the lever much more easier, and many more things. These advances would have made a giant influence on the people back then where all work was done by hand. Archimedes's intelligence allowed him to be a hero by making huge contributions to our practical and mathematical knowledge and helped advance humanity as a whole.
Archimedes became one of the bravest inventors in history by doing so much more with his intelligence. By defying the Roman Empire and defending his people, Archimedes truly shows us his fearless bravery. When put into a dangerous situation, he still fought for what he believed in to be right. "During the Second Punic war (218-201 B.C.), Archimedes worked as a military engineer for Syracuse in its efforts against the Romans" Although the Roman Army marched towards the door step of his hometown, Archimedes did not back down. Using his creative and fearless intelligence, he drove back the Romans for a full 8 months. Archimedes defined a fearless man. Although he tried his best, the Romans still captured his hometown of Syracuse. His fearless stand was the cause of his tragic death, in which a Roman Soldier struck him down for all the trouble he caused Rome. Standing up for ones friends and people is brave, but when faced with one of the biggest empires to ever exist, one had to truly be a fearless hero. "...invented or improved upon a device that would remain one of the most important forms of warfare technology for almost two millennia" Archimedes was first and foremost an inventor. Using his knowledge, he had the gall to use his inventions against the greatest superpower of that time, the Roman Empire. But such an opponent did not faze or hinder the actions Archimedes enacted for his people. His fearless actions during this war period made him stand out among his peers. Not only did he create and invent to help the common people, but he also stood up for them by defending the town. Such heroic acts are not found in many if any inventors. Archimedes was an inventor, scientist, and a fearless hero who used his talents to fight back against those who tried to subjugate his people.
Fighting the Roman Empire was as fearless as a person could get,while being an inventor and mathematician was the epitome of intelligence, both traits found in the life and actions of Archimedes. He fearlessly stood up against the Roman Empire for his hometown, fighting for what was right. But more than fighting Rome, Archimedes created and figured out new applications of several important machinations and created new machinations to help the working people around him. if one were to look back to the life of Archimedes, one would see a true hero. he fought a losing battle against a much stronger force, but never gave up. He created machines that helped relieve the workload of many people. His ideas and theories helped improve humanities knowledge as a whole, furthering our fast paced evolution to where we are now. Archimedes did many great things, but above all was his willingness to carry out his ideas. He was a fearless man, not caring about being judged, caring only about spreading his knowledge around the globe so that everyone could use it. When looking back to the actions of Archimedes, it inspires me to work harder and to try my best. Looking at the great ideas and discoveries, it makes me want to share my own ideas and help those around me with my intelligence. The lifestyle of Archimedes calls out to each and every person, showing us to not be afraid to stand up for what is right. It shows us to not be afraid of being judged and to live life to the fullest, helping those around us along our path with the best of our abilities. To live life for the greater cause, that is what Archimedes's heroism means to me.
Works Consulted
Archimedes." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 277-280. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Knight, Judson. "Archimedes and the Simple Machines That Moved the World." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 1: 2,000 B.C. to A.D. 699. Detroit: Gale, 2001.363-365. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Mertz, Leslie A. "Archimedes." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 1: 2,000 B.C. to A.D. 699. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 276-277. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Rorres, Chris. "Archimedes Home Page." Archimedes Home Page. New York University, 1995. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. https://www.cs.drexel.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/contents.html
Weisstein, Eric W. "Archimedes of Syracuse." Scienceworld.wolfram.com. Wolfram Research, 2007. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Archimedes.html
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Last edited 4/21/2013 12:00:00 AM
