The 40 best phrases of Archimedes

Archimedes of Syracuse was considered one of the most important intellectual figures of ancient Greece, performing work in physics, astronomy, engineering and, for what he was most recognized, mathematics.

Among his most outstanding works are the fundamentals of hydrostatics and statics, as well as being the first to approximate almost exactly the number Pi.

In this article you will find a selection of the best phrases of Archimedes, commented.

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Great phrases of Archimedes

Thanks to his work, we were able to obtain the first knowledge of mathematics and physics. A curiosity of this character is that he is attributed the term Eureka! that expresses the enthusiasm of deciphering something.

Due to the importance of him as a historical and inspiring figure, below we will review the most remarkable 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 about him when he discovered that he could measure the density of objects by measuring the displacement of an object through water with respect to its weight. All said by Vitruvius Pollio.

2. Give me a foothold and I'll move the earth.

Showing confidence in his ability to discover complex things about the world.

3. I learn that some, be they my contemporaries or my successors, by means of the method, once established, will be able to discover other theorems as well, 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 rules almost everything in the world. From shapes to sounds.

5. I will state the first theorem that I came to know through mechanics, namely, that any segment of a section of a right-angle cone (that is, a parabola) is four-thirds of the triangle that has the same base and equal height.

A reference to how his work would begin 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.

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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 try.

When you try something, even if you don't succeed, it is possible to have a little satisfaction. Instead of carrying the regret for 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 work on astronomy.

10. In any triangle, the center of gravity is on the straight line that joins any angle with the midpoint of the opposite side.

A reference to how gravity works within a space.

11. Those who pretend to discover everything, but find no proof, can be considered as actually pretending to discover the impossible.

You can always make an approximation of something by knowing it. But sometimes the truth can remain a mystery.

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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 capture the world.

Keep an open mind and stay 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.

15. After all, you can't learn history in reverse!

We cannot go into the past, only move forward.

16. He who knows how to speak also knows when to be silent.

Not only do you have to be sure you know what to say, but also when to be silent.

17. I have done it!

The way we can translate Eureka!

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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 a look 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 dislodged.

On the effect of water it produces on objects.

21. Who knows what to do, also knows when.

Sometimes it is necessary 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 that straight line as so that the portion adjacent to the surface of the hemisphere has with the remaining portion the relation that 5 has to 3.

His discovery of gravity in triangles later allowed him to create theories of gravity between distances.

23. Certain things, although at first they are clarified to me using mechanical devices, then they have to be tested geometrically, because that method does not provide authentic proofs.

The geometry allows to have a visualization of the theories.

24. The magnitudes are in equilibrium 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 with pure love, for their own beauty.

The passion for mathematics.

26. The game is a fundamental condition to be serious.

We cannot take everything to heart, it is also necessary to have a player 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 the proofs for geometric propositions.

Another reference to the way he would put together his book and how it ends.

28. The center of gravity of any parallelogram lies on the straight line joining the midpoints of the opposite sides.

The balance allows to maintain an adequate flow between points.

29. Dreams are the hopes of fools.

It is good to dream, but not to be clinging to illusions.

30.Aristarco de Samos produced 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 this Name.

Referring to the work of one of his predecessors.

31. Give me a long enough lever and a fulcrum to set it, and I'll move the world.

Referring to the way you can explain various natural phenomena.

32. Of course, if we have previously acquired, through the mechanical method, some knowledge of the problems, it is easier to find the demonstrative way.

For Archimedes, the mechanical method is the beginning of many sciences.

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33. Don't disturb my circles.

Never stop criticizing 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 dislodged.

Talking about his discovery of the movement that objects achieve when they touch water.

37. How many theorems of geometry that at first seemed impractical were successfully solved!

Things that seemed unattainable before can now become part of everyday life.

38. Equal weights at equal distances are in equilibrium, and equal weights at unequal distances are not in equilibrium, but instead lean toward the weight that is in the greater distance.

To maintain a correct balance, the objects must share the same qualities.

39. Two magnitudes, be they commensurable or incommensurable, balance at distances reciprocally proportional to the magnitudes.

It does not matter if the elements have differences between them, as long as they maintain some similarities in weight and distance.

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40. His hypothesis is that the fixed stars and the Sun remain immobile, that the Earth revolves 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, located around the same center as the Sun, is so large that the circle in which he supposes that the Earth rotates is in the same proportion to the distance of the fixed stars as the center of the sphere to its surface.

On the work of Aristarco de Samos that represented an innovation for the astronomy of the time.