Archimedes and the origins of mechanisms design

Abstract

Archimedes (ca. 287-212 BC) was born in Syracuse, in the Greek colony of Sicily. He studied mathematics at the Museum in Alexandria. He is the founder of statics and of hydrostatics, Archimedes discovered fundamental theorems concerning the center of gravity of plane geometric shapes and solids and his machine designs fascinated subsequent writers. Archimedes systematized the design of simple machines and the study of their functions and developed a rigorous theory of levers and the kinematics of the screw. His works contain a set of concrete principles upon which design can be developed as a science using mathematics and reason © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009.