Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes [Hardcover]

Alan W. Hirshfeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

The extraordinary genius of Archimedes—scientist, mathematician, engineer, and showman.

Many of us know little about Archimedes other than his “Eureka” exclamation upon discovering that he could immerse an object in a full tub of water and measure the spillage to determine the object’s volume. That simple observation helped establish the key principles of buoyancy that govern the flotation of hot-air balloons, boats, and denizens of the sea.

 

Archimedes had a profound impact on the development of mathematics and science: from square roots to the stability of ships; number systems to levers; the value of pi to the size of the universe. Yet this same cerebral man developed machines of war that held at bay the greatest army of antiquity. Ironically, Archimedes’ reputation swelled to mythic proportions in the ancient world for his feats of engineering: the hand-cranked irrigation device—commonly known as “Archimedes’ screw”—and his ingenuous use of levers, pulleys, and ropes to launch, single-handedly, a fully laden ship!

His rediscovered treatises guided nascent thinkers out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance. Indeed, Archimedes’ cumulative record of achievement places him among the exalted ranks of Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein. Eureka Man brings to life for general readers the genius of Archimedes, offering succinct and understandable explanations of some of his amazing discoveries and innovations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One of the most famous scientists of antiquity, Archimedes was renowned for his wizardry in pure mathematics as well as for applied science, building defensive devices that helped ancient Syracuse temporarily hold off a Roman assault.University of Massachusetts Dartmouth science prof Hirshfeld (The Electric Life of Michael Faraday) offers a lively look at the work underlying Archimedes' renown. The second part of the book shifts gears to trace the fortunes of the so-called Archimedes Palimpsest, a parchment with a Byzantine-era religious work written over an ancient text by Archimedes. Since it was rediscovered in the early 1900s, scientists have used ultraviolet and X-ray scanning techniques to identify the original underlying works, long believed lost, and uncover the startling fact that Archimedes discovered the calculus almost 2,000 years before Newton and Leibniz. Science fans will find this a quick read, and readers interested in the transmission of ancient manuscripts will be fascinated by Hirshfeld's account of the palimpsest (a tale also recounted in 2007's The Archimedes Codex). 8 pages of color illus., 15 b&w illus. (Sept.)
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Review

"Although you may not have ever thought you needed to read a book about Archimedes, this book might leave you wondering how you got through life thus far without reading one. In this, lies Hirshfeld's rare talent. And if you have been looking for such a book, this one should have you leaping from your bathtub and heading for the door, proclaiming "Eureka -- I have found it.""—Metro West Daily News

“Alan Hirshfeld [cuts] through the centuries of hype surrounding this ancient genius. Against the vivid backdrop of a city under Roman siege, we're told what little is known of the life of Archimedes, and of the futuristic war machines he invented at his king's behest, which for years kept the invaders at bay. Hirshfeld explains Archimedes's mathematical achievements, from calculating pi to developing the beginnings of calculus, and traces the survival of key copies of his work through history as poetically as if they were travellers sailing to port over a stormy sea. A charming introduction to the life and legacy of an extraordinary man.”—New Scientist

“An insightful and engaging biography of the man of the legendary exclaim.  To my surprise, Archimedes was a Newton, Edison, General Patton, and Einstein, all rolled into one: the eighth wonder of the ancient world. Alan Hirshfield provides both a delightful romp through this great man's mathematical proofs and a thrilling tale of the centuries-long search for Archimedes' greatest manuscript.  We are introduced to a genius well worth knowing."—Marcia Bartusiak, author of The Day We Found the Universe and adjunct professor of science writing at MIT

“Naked Archimedes running down the street shouting ‘Eureka!’ It's an image to chuckle over and cherish. But, oh my, there is so much more to fascinate in the tale of this astonishing man. Alan Hirshfeld has merged storytelling and science in a wonderful book that even includes a modern discovery with twists and turns of intrigue.”—Joy Hakim, author of The Story of Science and A History of US

“Alan Hirshfeld has given us a gripping biography of Archimedes, one of the greatest geniuses of all time. Even more exciting, he shows us how scholars resurrect from obscurity a person who has been dead for 2,200 years, piecing together a dramatic life from fragments of remembrance.”—Chet Raymo, author of The Path

“For this account of one of antiquity’s most renowned mathematicians, Hirshfeld combines three elements: a biography, accessible presentations of several mathematical proofs, and a narrative of the recent recovery of long-lost texts. The last, detailed in The Archimedes Codex (2007), by Reviel Netz and William Noel, loses no intellectual drama in Hirshfeld’s briefer treatment, and his work’s clarity in the biography and math departments confirms the facility for popular science that Hirshfeld displayed in Parallax (2001) and The Electric Life of Michael Faraday (2006)… And whether or not a naked Archimedes really ran around yelling ‘Eureka,’ the story’s too good, among others, to omit from Hirshfeld’s fine portrayal.”— Booklist

“University of Massachusetts Dartmouth science prof Hirshfeld offers a lively look at the work underlying Archimedes’ renown… Science fans will find this a quick read, and readers interested in the transmission of ancient manuscripts will be fascinated by Hirshfeld’s account of the palimpsest.” —Publishers Weekly

“Thoroughly enjoyable look at the tumultuous life and resounding influence of a genius of antiquity”—Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company; First Edition, First Printing. edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802716180
• ISBN-13: 978-0802716187
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,137,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Hirshfeld is Professor of Physics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and an Associate of the Harvard College Observatory. He received his undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Princeton University in 1973 and his Ph.D. in astronomy from Yale in 1978. His widely praised book, "Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos," published in 2002 by Henry Holt & Co., chronicles the human stories involved in the centuries-long quest to measure the first distance to a star. His second book, "The Electric Life of Michael Faraday," published in 2006 by Walker & Co., describes the life and work of the 19th century scientist who developed the electric motor, electric generator, and many fundamental ideas about electricity, magnetism, and light. "Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes," published by Walker & Co. in 2009, was released in paperback in September 2010. Prof. Hirshfeld's "Astronomy Activity and Laboratory Manual," a collection of mathematical exercises for college astronomy courses, was published by Jones & Bartlett Learning in 2009. Recipient of second prize in the Templeton Foundation's international Power of Purpose essay competition and also a Griffith Observatory/Hughes Aircraft Co. national science writing award, Prof. Hirshfeld has lectured around the country about scientific history and discovery.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hybrid book, December 31, 2009

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This review is from: Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes (Hardcover)

This is really like two different books in one. The first part, that covers the math of Archimedes and his other accomplishments, is rather dry and the author almost seems bored by it. The second part, which focuses on the Archimedes Palimpsest (also covered in a recent book titled the Archimedes Codex), feels as if it were written by a different author, someone who was genuinely excited about his subject and is expressing that in his writing style. So if you find yourself getting bogged down in part I, at least give part II a try before giving up entirely.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both a Biography and an Intriguing Story, October 26, 2009

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G. Poirier (Orleans, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes (Hardcover)

This book's subtitle, "The Life and Legacy of Archimedes", actually understates what the book fully contains. In addition to a biography of Archimedes and a summary of his incredible legacy, the author has also included the remarkably tumultuous journey of the so-called Archimedes Palimpsest: a book containing faint reproductions of some of Archimedes's writings. These words and diagrams, of a mathematical nature, were partly erased from their parchment in medieval times so that the same parchment could be re-used for other texts. Fortunately, modern technology was successfully applied to restore the legibility of the original content.

Only about half this book focuses on Archimedes, his incredible accomplishments and what little is known of his personal life. The remainder contains a short history of writing, of writing implements and techniques, of the repeated transcribing of ancient texts over centuries and millennia, and, of course, the story of the Archimedes Palimpsest. The writing style is clear, authoritative, very accessible and quite captivating. Although any general reader can enjoy this book, it would likely be relished the most by science/math buffs as well as those fascinated by how very ancient writings have made their way into the modern world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of history, a little math, November 11, 2009

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Jennifer Mason (Delaware) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes (Hardcover)

Alan Hirschfeld is a professor of physics by day, but does a good job of moonlighting as a historian for this examination of Archimedes and his work.
Reaching back over 2200 years to the Sicily Archimedes knew, he creates the environment in which the mathematician lived and worked. During a brief period of peace and prosperity for his city of Syracuse, Archimedes created the basis for geometry, mathematically defied pii, and the mechanism of leavers (and more!). He was heralded as a genius by his scientific contemporys and as a savior for his inventive weapons and defense mechanisms by his countrymen. The legend most people know is of him jumping out of a bathtub in the excitement of discovering the concept of water displaced equal to the weight of the submerged object. This arose from him devising a way to detect base metals substituted for gold in a commissioned piece for the king.
Part One describes what is known of the man, the era in which he lived, and his work. The reader is guided through the mathematical theroms with a light guiding hand, and a clear style that the non-mathematician will appreciate.
Part Two traces the tract of this visionary's work to the modern day. Along the journey we learn the microeconomics of papyrus scroll production, its relatively short lifespan, and the industry of manuscript copying that kept Archimedes work alive. In the mid 9th century, under the direction of a Byzantine librarian named Leo, his work is compiled from separate scrolls into three parchment codex (early book forms). Already over 1000 years after the life of Archimedes, these three codex form the root of all subsequent copies of his work. Three hundred years later, one of the codex is erased and overwritten with an orthodox liturgical guide to Easter services. The overwritten work (palimpsest) is re-discovered in the early 20th century, and is the only one to survive to the 21st century. The other two were discovered by the scientists of the renaissance who again heralded this ancient Greek as a genius, upon who's work modern mathematics is based.
Hirschfeld draws a direct line through history to trace the discoveries and survival of Archimedes work. While he apparently veers off at a tangent at times, it is only to better illustrate the journey taken.