Why were services of Archimdes needed by the king of Syracuse?
Answers
You need to know both the mass and volume of an object to determine its density. It is usually easy to find the mass of an object, but finding the volume of an irregularly shaped object can be a challenge.
This relates to is a famous story where ancient Greek scientist Archimedes was asked by King Hiero of Syracuse to find out if the gold wreath made by Hiero's goldsmith was truly pure gold and not mixed with some other alloy. The king suspected his goldsmith was embezzling some of the gold.
If the wreath was pure gold, it would have a certain density. If it was made of a mixture, the density would be different. However, in order to find the density of the wreath, its volume must be determined. This was the problem Archimedes faced.
After thinking about it for a while, Archimedes then took a bath to find a solution to the problem.
Questions you may have include:
What is one way to find the volume?
How did taking a bath help?
What was the solution to the problem?
This lesson will answer those questions.