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Quiz about Early Scientists of Alexandria

Early Scientists of Alexandria Quiz

Following the the creation of the Egyptian city Alexandria by Alexander the Great himself and the ascension of Ptolemy as Pharoah, the city of Alexandria became the scientific center of the ancient world. Here are some of the key figures...

A multiple-choice quiz by thejazzkickazz. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
thejazzkickazz

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
81,104

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
416

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of the Ptolemy kings of ancient Egypt built the great library in Alexandria?
Hint

Ptolemy I Soter

Ptolemy II Philadelphus

Ptolemy III Euergetes

Ptolemy IV Philopator

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Which of these cities was the greatest rival of Alexandria as a seat for scholarly affairs? Hint

Pergamum

Antioch

Ephesus

Ecbatana

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. One of the first scholars to be called to Alexandria was this famous author of the
'Elements of Geometry'. Name that scholar! Hint

Euclid

Diosthenes

Ptolemy

Thales

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of these fellows has been called the 'Copernicus of Antiquity' because of his
heliocentric outlook on our solar system? Hint

Eudoxus

Theophrastus

Strabo

Aristarchus

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? Hint

The heart was the center of the circulatory system

Arteries pulsate

Veins and arteries perform different functions

The brain is the seat of human intelligence

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Question 6 of 10

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? Hint

Cliomenes

Sosigenes

Aratus

Erasistratus

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. For which Syracusan king was Archimedes working when he made his great discoveries
about the specific weights of metals? Hint

Cronion

Dionysius

Hiero

Cephalus

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

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."? Hint

Balance

Wedge

Lever

Screw

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Which great Alexandrian scholar wrote the 'Conics'? Hint

Apollonius

Callipus

Philolaus

Heracleides

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Question 10 of 10

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? Hint

Sieve

Abacus

Bones

Grate

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the Ptolemy kings of ancient Egypt built the great library in Alexandria?

Answer: Ptolemy II Philadelphus

With the founding of the library and a museum in Alexandria by
Ptolemy II, the great tradition of learning began in Alexandria as intellectuals came from
throughout the world to partake in the learned atmosphere.

2. Which of these cities was the greatest rival of Alexandria as a seat for scholarly affairs?

Answer: Pergamum

The Ptolemys were so jealous of their own success that they placed an
embargo on the export of papyrus, from which we get the word 'paper'. In Pergamum,
because there wasn't access to papyrus, scientists developed an alternative medium,
membranum pergamentum, from animal skins. We get the word 'parchment' from this
name.

3. One of the first scholars to be called to Alexandria was this famous author of the 'Elements of Geometry'. Name that scholar!

Answer: Euclid

Euclid's 'Elements' was not the first
textbook on geometry. The first was written by Hippocrates of Chios (not to be confused
with the famous physician, Hippocrates of Cos) a century or so before. Euclid's work,
however, gained such prominence that parts of it were still being used up until the
modern era.

4. Which of these fellows has been called the 'Copernicus of Antiquity' because of his heliocentric outlook on our solar system?

Answer: Aristarchus

Aristarchus, who was from the
island of Samos, came to teach at Alexandria soon after Euclid. He is credited with
being the first scientist to propose that the earth revolves around the sun.

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?

Answer: The heart was the center of the circulatory system

Herophilus was indeed a great
scientist, but failed to fully grasp the function of the heart, and hence never came to
understand the physiology of the circulatory system.

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?

Answer: Erasistratus

Erasistratus was another of the great scientists originally from the Aegean isles, Chios in
his case. He made many fantastic discoveries and hypotheses, some useful, for example
that the cerebrum and cerebellum were separate portions of the brain, and some
fantastical, such as his supposition about pneuma (or 'vital spirit') entering the lungs and
heart through the air we breathe.

7. For which Syracusan king was Archimedes working when he made his great discoveries about the specific weights of metals?

Answer: Hiero

Hiero requested that Archimedes measure
the weight of crown somehow in order to discover whether or not it was of pure gold.
Archimedes realized how he might follow through on Hiero's request while in his bath,
observing the displacement of water that occurred when he plunged in. So excited was
the great scientist that he lept from the bath, stark naked, and ran out of his house
screaming 'Eureka! Eureka!'. He had truly found it...

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."?

Answer: Lever

Archimedes
did not discover this simple machine, but his work on describing the mathematical
principles behind the function of a lever expanded its theoretical applications immensely.

9. Which great Alexandrian scholar wrote the 'Conics'?

Answer: Apollonius

Apollonius of Perga
(not Pergamum!) showed that, using a plane, all three types of conic sections, the ellipse,
the parabola and the hyperbola, could be derived from the same cone.

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?

Answer: Sieve

Eratosthenes also developed the first world map using
longitude and latitude lines, among his many other great projects. Please look out for part 2 of this series...Later Alexandrian Scientists!

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

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