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The real story behind Archimedes’ Eureka! - Armand D'Angour

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When you think of Archimedes’ Eureka moment, you probably imagine a man in a bathtub, right? As it turns out, there's much more to the story. Armand D'Angour tells the story of Archimedes' biggest assignment -- an enormous floating palace commissioned by a king -- that helped him find Eureka.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Archimedes, under great pressure, created the world’s first floating cruise ship, the Syracusia. But, who was Archimedes? What else is he famous for? How about the catapult, a light-focusing mirror to burn invading ships, the Archimedes screw, and several math theorems? Read a short biography of him here and here. History says that Archimedes, so focused on his math calculations, that when confronted by a Roman soldier to leave, refused and was killed.

Archimedes Principle of Buoyancy is one of his most famous calculations. Watch this lesson from TED Ed: How taking a bath led to Archimedes Principle by Mark Salata. The Archimedes Principle Song puts this whole concept to music! Listen and learn. How brilliant was Archimedes? Was he a man before his time? Watch Archimedes Secret and learn more about this amazing individual.

Eureka! Did Archimedes really coin this phrase? Read this Fact or Fiction Smithsonian article and get some insight into this question!

What is the Archimedes Palimpsest? Find out here! Then listen to this TED talk on: Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes by William Noel. Still find this intriguing? Listen to NPR’s: A Prayer Book’s Secret: Archimedes Lies Beneath. Amazing, and awesome was Archimedes!

The author would like to credit the late Ian McAuslan for suggesting the possible significance of korōnē.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Armand D'Angour
  • Director Michael Kalopaidis
  • Producer Zedem Media
  • Artist Dinos Hadjidemetri
  • Animator Maria Savva
  • Sound Designer Andreas Trachonitis
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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