Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which of the Ptolemy kings of ancient Egypt built the great library in Alexandria?
2. Which of these cities was the greatest rival of Alexandria as a seat for scholarly affairs?
3. One of the first scholars to be called to Alexandria was this famous author of the
'Elements of Geometry'. Name that scholar!
4. Which of these fellows has been called the 'Copernicus of Antiquity' because of his
heliocentric outlook on our solar system?
5. Herophilus of Chalcedon, an early anatomist, was one of the first scientists to dissect a
human body publicly. He also proposed all of the following innovative ideas about the human body save which one?
6. Another early anatomist, which fellow hypothesized that every organ in the human body
was a complex of a tripartite system of vessels - veins, arteries and nerves - that branched
into ever more minute vessels until too small for the human eye to see?
7. For which Syracusan king was Archimedes working when he made his great discoveries
about the specific weights of metals?
8. A quiz on ancient scientists couldn't be taken seriously without at least two questions on
Archimedes, so here's another one. About what device was Archimedes referring when
he said, "Give me but a place to stand, and I can move the world."?
9. Which great Alexandrian scholar wrote the 'Conics'?
10. Eratosthenes, librarian and genius, is most remembered for having calculated with a high
degree of accuracy the earth's circumference. He is also known for a device which
elicited the prime numbers, which has been attached to his name by posterity. What is
this device called?
Source: Author
thejazzkickazz
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