Another Discovery
Archimedes slowly walked down the stairs to King Heiro's palace, squinting at the bright mid-day sun. Looking back at the elaborately decorated palace, Archimedes felt a surge of excitement and exhilaration. His cousin, the king, had just given him what he relished the most: a problem needing a solution. Heiro had received a golden crown as a gift, but he suspected that he was cheated. Calling upon Archimedes, whose counsel and skills were invaluable to him, Heiro asked Archimedes to prove that the treasure was made of pure gold, and that it did not contain any other cheaper materials. It seemed a simple enough task at first, but there was one problem. If the crown were indeed made of pure gold, it could not be scratched or harmed in any way.
Archimedes held the crown up high, and marveled at its seemingly flawless beauty. The crown was a treasure fit for any king, or so it appeared. In his experience, Archimedes had come to learn that the naked eye of a mere human could almost never tell all that was there. As a scientist and mathematician, Archimedes felt compelled to solve every mystery he could, every problem he could find. Knowledge of the complex world in which he lived was a goal he knew he could never complete, but a goal he had to strive for.
Archimedes tripped over the last step down from the palace. It was of no matter. He would simply be more careful next time. The citizens of the Greek city-state of Syracuse briefly paused to watch Archimedes walking down the street, not paying any attention to the myriad of hazards, the multitudes of people, the abundance of fascinating sights, but paying attention to only this crown which he had held high above his head. Archimedes was so preoccupied with his latest scientific challenge that he didn't hear anyone around him, or the comments that they made. He was partially aware that he behaved differently from the rest of the people in Syracuse, but he didn't care. Solving the mysteries of the world and helping everyone through inventions were far more important than conversation.
Archimedes kept walking, holding the glistening crown up and staring at it. The sun's reflection appeared on the bright smooth surface of the perfectly rounded base of the crown, which cause Archimedes to avert his eyesight.
Blinking and looking around, he saw giant marble Ionic pillars in front of him. Looking around more he realized he had walked into a temple to Zeus. A statue of Zeus made from a solid marble block stood in the center of the room, while a rich man seemed to be trying to bribe the idol of the god of gods with livestock and gold, a common attempt made by the overly ambitious. A woman, talking to the priest, was wearing a white chiton (white was the most popular color at the time) which was shorter and more floral looking than his own. Not allowing himself to be distracted any more than he already was, Archimedes grumbled a short prayer to Zeus and went down to the road onto which he should have turned long ago. He retraced his steps and corrected his navigational error. Walking towards his home, this time on the correct road, he held the crown in front of him, muttering to himself as he stared at this possibly priceless treasure, possibly total fraud, the whole time wondering how he could unfurl the truths behind its origins.
No one in Syracuse understood why he did some of the things he did, but no one ever questioned him. Time and again he had proven his eccentric genius. After a remarkable display of moving a three-masted ship with only himself and his inventions, King Heiro had declared that Archimedes was to be believed in everything he claimed. Shortly after he informed the people that he could move the world, if given a lever and a place to stand. No one had seen any proof of that particular claim, but if he was working on a problem, this time the crown, then he would succeed. There was no question in anyone's mind that he would succeed, despite no one else knowing what the problem was. Ignoring the curious and respectful stares of the people, Archimedes went home.
Archimedes sat in a chair. He sat. He thought. He pondered. For almost nine hours he remained unmoving, mumbling to himself as he went. He became so immersed, so obsessed, by this problem, that he forgot to sleep. He even forgot to eat, despite the gurgling noises his stomach made. He half-realized, but didn't care that he still had most of a meal lying on the nearby table. Some not so fresh anymore fruit sat next to most of a fish, or was it an eel? A half of a cup of wine was on the edge of the table, ready to fall off. Archimedes drank it, and took some of the lukewarm roast lentils before returning to his task. He contemplated the problem, and millions of ideas came to him, none pertaining to the crown. Archimedes made no headway, but one did not become as successful as he did without being flexible, and recognizing the need for new approaches (the cause of many of his previous inventions). Deciding he needed a break, Archimedes used his own invention, a water screw, to draw a bath. A change of environment will do me good he thought.
Archimedes kicked off his uncomfortable sandals and then he took off his long purple chiton. Putting one leg in the cool water, which Archimedes absent-mindedly forgot to heat, he observed that the water level rose. While pausing to think about that, he realized that the leg in the water seemed considerably lighter than the one on the ground. He put his other leg in and moved it up and down. He knew that the water was buoying his leg, but he didn't know how. Getting out of the cold water, he sat back down in his chair.
After a very brief moment of contemplating what happens in water, he almost forgot about the crown, until it hit him. Dense and heavy rocks sink; proportionately lighter and less dense boats float. Gold is heavier per pound than the other precious metals. An experiment for solving the king's problem was formulating in Archimedes' mind. All he needed was a balance, the crown, some water and
Archimedes' brilliantly eccentric mind raced. He knew how he could find out if the crown was real. Forgetting his lack of appropriate, or any, attire, he ran out of his house. Down the street he ran shouting "Eureka! Eureka!"
He passed an encumbered merchant, nearly knocking him off his feet. He ignored a passing chariot, whose driver stared in total mystification at him. Shopkeepers and shoppers who had just seconds ago been discussing drachmas and staters stopped to stare at Greece's most brilliant scientist running down the street, shouting to no one in particular, as if just to tell the world he did it, completely naked.
In the end, the crown was a fake, Archimedes never realized what a scene
he had caused, and Archimedes invented the first scale of density.
By Matt C. '03, Germantown Academy