Eureka! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sicily

Very little is known about the details of Archimedes' life. He was born sometime around 287 BC, and died approximately 212 BC. Archimedes said that his father's name was Phidias, and in his work, "The Sand Reckoner" that he was an astronomer. Plutarch claimed that Archimedes was related to the king of Syracuse. Little is known about his personal life; a biography written by Heracleides has been lost.

Answer: Crown

King Hiero II had provided pure gold to be used for the making of a crown, and suspected that the goldsmith had substituted some silver and kept part of the gold for himself. Archimedes was asked to examine the crown without damaging it, which presented a perplexing problem. It would be easy to melt down the crown and calculate its density, but he had to be a bit more creative.

Answer: Take a bath

When Archimedes was getting into a bathtub, he realized that the level of the water in the tub rose when he got it. He believed this effect, the Archimedes Principle, could be used to determine the volume of gold in the crown.

Answer: Put his clothes on.

The story says that Archimedes, excited by his discovery, ran through the streets naked shouting, "Eureka"! Archimedes did not write about this discovery in any of his works, and some believe it would have been very difficult to measure the water displacement.

It may be more likely that he described what he did in his work, "On Floating Bodies". He said that "a body immersed in a fluid experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces". Using this principle, he could compare the density of the object to solid gold by placing the two on a scale and immersing the apparatus in water.

Answer: False

In Greek "Eureka" means "I have found it"! Archimedes was so happy to have found the solution to the problem under the conditions set by the king. The test was successfully conducted, and Archimedes was able to prove that silver had been mixed with the gold. Prospectors during the California gold rush used the same phrase when gold was discovered near Sutter's Mill in 1848. Today it is the state motto of California.

Answer: Removed bilge water from ships.

King Hiero II asked Archimedes to design a huge ship that could be used for many purposes. It is said that the ship, "The Syracusia", was the largest ship in classical antiquity. It could carry six hundred people, according to Athenaeus, and included a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, as well as decorations and a gymnasium.

The Archimedes screw was invented for this ship to remove water that leaked into the hull. Turned by hand, it could also transfer river water into irrigation canals. It is still used to remove water and granulated solids like grain or coal.

Answer: Lifted ships up out of the water.

The Claw was used to defend the city from attack. It was also known as a "ship shaker". The crane-like arm with a metal grappling hook could be dropped into an attacking ship, lift it out of the water, and possibly sink it. Modern experiments have shown that it was a workable device.

Answer: Caused approaching ships to catch fire.

The author Lucian wrote that Archimedes destroyed enemy ships with fire during the Siege of Syracuse, using a device that focused sunlight onto the ships. Throughout the ages, scientists have tried to find out if such an invention existed. One suggestion is that highly polished bronze or copper shields were used as mirrors that could focus sunlight onto a ship.

In order to catch fire, the wood needs to be heated to approximately 300 degrees C. An experiment conducted in 1973 used seventy mirrors, that, when focused accurately, caused a plywood ship with a coating of tar paint to burst into flames.

The experiment did not work on the television program, "Mythbusters".

Answer: Lever

Although Archimedes is not credited with inventing levers, he did know how to use them. Plutarch says that Archimedes designed pulley systems which allowed sailors to use the principle of leverage to lift heavy objects.

Answer: True

According to tradition, Archimedes was killed by a Roman soldier when General Marcus Claudius Marcellus captured the city of Syracuse after a two year siege. General Marcellus wanted to meet Archimedes, but was refused. Archimedes was too busy working on a mathematical diagram. When he told the soldier to leave him alone, the soldier killed him with his sword.