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TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing, The real story behind Archimedes’ Eureka! - Armand D'Angour

The real story behind Archimedes’ Eureka! - Armand D'Angour

When you think of Archimedes' "Eureka!

moment, you probably think of this. As it turns out, it may have been more like this. In the third century BC, Hieron, king of the Sicilian city of Syracuse, chose Archimedes to supervise an engineering project of unprecedented scale. Hieron commissioned a sailing vessel 50 times bigger than a standard ancient warship, named the Syracusia after his city. Hieron wanted to construct the largest ship ever, which was destined to be given as a present for Egypt's ruler, Ptolemy. But could a boat the size of a palace possibly float? In Archimedes's day, no one had attempted anything like this. It was like asking, "Can a mountain fly?" King Hieron had a lot riding on that question. Hundreds of workmen were to labor for years on constructing the Syracusia out of beams of pine and fir from Mount Etna, ropes from hemp grown in Spain, and pitch from France. The top deck, on which eight watchtowers were to stand, was to be supported not by columns, but by vast wooden images of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders. On the ship's bow, a massive catapult would be able to fire 180 pound stone missiles. For the enjoyment of its passengers, the ship was to feature a flower-lined promenade, a sheltered swimming pool, and bathhouse with heated water, a library filled with books and statues, a temple to the goddess Aphrodite, and a gymnasium. And just to make things more difficult for Archimedes, Hieron intended to pack the vessel full of cargo: 400 tons of grain, 10,000 jars of pickled fish, 74 tons of drinking water, and 600 tons of wool. It would have carried well over a thousand people on board, including 600 soldiers. And it housed 20 horses in separate stalls. To build something of this scale, only for that to sink on its maiden voyage? Well, let's just say that failure wouldn't have been a pleasant option for Archimedes. So he took on the problem: will it sink? Perhaps he was sitting in the bathhouse one day, wondering how a heavy bathtub can float, when inspiration came to him. An object partially immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. In other words, if a 2,000 ton Syracusia displaced exactly 2,000 tons of water, it would just barely float. If it displaced 4,000 tons of water, it would float with no problem. Of course, if it only displaced 1,000 tons of water, well, Hieron wouldn't be too happy. This is the law of buoyancy, and engineers still call it Archimedes' Principle. It explains why a steel supertanker can float as easily as a wooden rowboat or a bathtub. If the weight of water displaced by the vessel below the keel is equivalent to the vessel's weight, whatever is above the keel will remain afloat above the waterline. This sounds a lot like another story involving Archimedes and a bathtub, and it's possible that's because they're actually the same story, twisted by the vagaries of history. The classical story of Archimedes' Eureka! and subsequent streak through the streets centers around a crown, or corona in Latin. At the core of the Syracusia story is a keel, or korone in Greek. Could one have been mixed up for the other? We may never know. On the day the Syracusia arrived in Egypt on its first and only voyage, we can only imagine how residents of Alexandria thronged the harbor to marvel at the arrival of this majestic, floating castle. This extraordinary vessel was the Titanic of the ancient world, except without the sinking, thanks to our pal, Archimedes.


The real story behind Archimedes’ Eureka! - Armand D'Angour La véritable histoire de l'Eurêka d'Archimède - Armand D'Angour A verdadeira história por detrás do "Eureka!" de Arquimedes - Armand D'Angour

When you think of Archimedes' "Eureka!

moment, you probably think of this. As it turns out, it may have been more like this. Como se vê, pode ter sido mais assim. Как оказалось, это могло быть больше похоже на это. In the third century BC, Hieron, king of the Sicilian city of Syracuse, chose Archimedes to supervise an engineering project of unprecedented scale. No século III aC, Hieron, rei da cidade siciliana de Siracusa, escolheu Arquimedes para supervisionar um projeto de engenharia de escala sem precedentes. В третьем веке до нашей эры Гиерон, царь сицилийского города Сиракузы, выбрал Архимеда для руководства инженерным проектом беспрецедентного масштаба. Hieron commissioned a sailing vessel 50 times bigger than a standard ancient warship, named the Syracusia after his city. Hieron encomendou um veleiro 50 vezes maior do que um navio de guerra antigo padrão, chamado Syracusia em homenagem à sua cidade. Гиерон заказал парусное судно в 50 раз больше, чем стандартный древний военный корабль, и назвал его «Сиракузии» в честь своего города. Hieron wanted to construct the largest ship ever, which was destined to be given as a present for Egypt’s ruler, Ptolemy. Hieron queria construir o maior navio de todos os tempos, destinado a ser dado como presente para o governante do Egito, Ptolomeu. Гиерон хотел построить самый большой корабль, который должен был быть подарен правителю Египта Птолемею. But could a boat the size of a palace possibly float? Mas poderia um barco do tamanho de um palácio flutuar? Но могла ли лодка размером с дворец плавать? In Archimedes’s day, no one had attempted anything like this. It was like asking, "Can a mountain fly?" King Hieron had a lot riding on that question. O Rei Hieron tinha muita coisa em jogo nessa pergunta. Царь Гиерон много зависел от этого вопроса. Hundreds of workmen were to labor for years on constructing the Syracusia out of beams of pine and fir from Mount Etna, ropes from hemp grown in Spain, and pitch from France. Centenas de operários trabalharam durante anos na construção da Syracusia com vigas de pinheiro e abeto do Monte Etna, cordas de cânhamo cultivado na Espanha e piche da França. Сотни рабочих должны были годами трудиться над сооружением Сиракузии из брусьев сосны и ели с горы Этна, веревок из конопли, выращенной в Испании, и смолы из Франции. The top deck, on which eight watchtowers were to stand, was to be supported not by columns, but by vast wooden images of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders. O convés superior, no qual deveriam ficar oito torres de vigia, deveria ser sustentado não por colunas, mas por vastas imagens de madeira de Atlas segurando o mundo nos ombros. Верхняя палуба, на которой должны были стоять восемь сторожевых башен, должна была поддерживаться не колоннами, а огромными деревянными изображениями Атласа, держащего мир на своих плечах. On the ship’s bow, a massive catapult would be able to fire 180 pound stone missiles. Na proa do navio, uma catapulta maciça seria capaz de disparar mísseis de pedra de 180 libras. Массивная катапульта на носу корабля могла запускать 180-фунтовые каменные ракеты. For the enjoyment of its passengers, the ship was to feature a flower-lined promenade, a sheltered swimming pool, and bathhouse with heated water, a library filled with books and statues, a temple to the goddess Aphrodite, and a gymnasium. Para o deleite de seus passageiros, o navio deveria apresentar um passeio florido, uma piscina protegida e uma casa de banhos com água aquecida, uma biblioteca repleta de livros e estátuas, um templo à deusa Afrodite e um ginásio. Для развлечения пассажиров на корабле должны были быть усаженная цветами набережная, закрытый бассейн и баня с подогревом воды, библиотека с книгами и статуями, храм богини Афродиты и спортзал. And just to make things more difficult for Archimedes, Hieron intended to pack the vessel full of cargo: 400 tons of grain, 10,000 jars of pickled fish, 74 tons of drinking water, and 600 tons of wool. E só para tornar as coisas mais difíceis para Arquimedes, Hieron pretendia empacotar o navio cheio de carga: 400 toneladas de grãos, 10.000 potes de peixe em conserva, 74 toneladas de água potável e 600 toneladas de lã. А чтобы Архимеду было еще труднее, Гиерон намеревался нагрузить судно грузом: 400 тонн зерна, 10 000 кувшинов маринованной рыбы, 74 тонны питьевой воды и 600 тонн шерсти. It would have carried well over a thousand people on board, including 600 soldiers. Teria carregado bem mais de mil pessoas a bordo, incluindo 600 soldados. На его борту должно было находиться более тысячи человек, в том числе 600 солдат. And it housed 20 horses in separate stalls. E abrigava 20 cavalos em baias separadas. И в отдельных стойлах помещалось 20 лошадей. To build something of this scale, only for that to sink on its maiden voyage? Construir algo dessa escala, apenas para afundar em sua viagem inaugural? Построить что-то такого масштаба только для того, чтобы оно затонуло в своем первом плавании? Well, let’s just say that failure wouldn’t have been a pleasant option for Archimedes. Что ж, скажем так, неудача не была бы приятной для Архимеда. So he took on the problem: will it sink? Поэтому он взялся за проблему: утонет ли он? Perhaps he was sitting in the bathhouse one day, wondering how a heavy bathtub can float, when inspiration came to him. Возможно, однажды он сидел в бане, недоумевая, как может плавать тяжелая ванна, когда к нему пришло вдохновение. An object partially immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. Um objeto parcialmente imerso em um fluido é impulsionado por uma força igual ao peso do fluido deslocado pelo objeto. Предмет, частично погруженный в жидкость, поднимается вверх с силой, равной весу жидкости, вытесненной этим телом. In other words, if a 2,000 ton Syracusia displaced exactly 2,000 tons of water, it would just barely float. Em outras palavras, se um Syracusia de 2.000 toneladas deslocasse exatamente 2.000 toneladas de água, mal flutuaria. Другими словами, если 2000-тонная Сиракузия вытеснит ровно 2000 тонн воды, она едва будет плавать. If it displaced 4,000 tons of water, it would float with no problem. Se deslocasse 4.000 toneladas de água, flutuaria sem problemas. Если бы он вытеснил 4000 тонн воды, он бы плавал без проблем. Of course, if it only displaced 1,000 tons of water, well, Hieron wouldn’t be too happy. Конечно, если бы он вытеснил всего 1000 тонн воды, Гиерон не был бы слишком счастлив. This is the law of buoyancy, and engineers still call it Archimedes' Principle. Это закон плавучести, и инженеры до сих пор называют его принципом Архимеда. It explains why a steel supertanker can float as easily as a wooden rowboat or a bathtub. Isso explica por que um superpetroleiro de aço pode flutuar tão facilmente quanto um barco a remo de madeira ou uma banheira. Это объясняет, почему стальной супертанкер может плавать так же легко, как деревянная гребная лодка или ванна. If the weight of water displaced by the vessel below the keel is equivalent to the vessel’s weight, whatever is above the keel will remain afloat above the waterline. Se o peso da água deslocada pela embarcação abaixo da quilha for equivalente ao peso da embarcação, o que estiver acima da quilha permanecerá flutuando acima da linha d'água. Если вес воды, вытесненной судном ниже киля, равен весу судна, то все, что выше киля, останется на плаву выше ватерлинии. This sounds a lot like another story involving Archimedes and a bathtub, and it’s possible that’s because they’re actually the same story, twisted by the vagaries of history. Это очень похоже на другую историю с участием Архимеда и ванны, и, возможно, это потому, что на самом деле это одна и та же история, искаженная капризами истории. The classical story of Archimedes' Eureka! and subsequent streak through the streets centers around a crown, or corona in Latin. e a sequência subsequente pelas ruas gira em torno de uma coroa, ou corona em latim. и последующая полоса по улицам сосредоточена вокруг короны, или короны на латыни. At the core of the Syracusia story is a keel, or korone in Greek. No centro da história de Syracusia está uma quilha, ou korone em grego. Could one have been mixed up for the other? Poderia um ter sido misturado para o outro? We may never know. On the day the Syracusia arrived in Egypt on its first and only voyage, we can only imagine how residents of Alexandria thronged the harbor to marvel at the arrival of this majestic, floating castle. No dia em que o Syracusia chegou ao Egito em sua primeira e única viagem, podemos imaginar como os moradores de Alexandria lotaram o porto para se maravilhar com a chegada deste majestoso castelo flutuante. В тот день, когда «Сиракузии» прибыли в Египет в свое первое и единственное плавание, мы можем только представить, как жители Александрии заполнили гавань, чтобы поразиться прибытию этого величественного плавучего замка. This extraordinary vessel was the Titanic of the ancient world, except without the sinking, thanks to our pal, Archimedes. Este navio extraordinário era o Titanic do mundo antigo, exceto sem o naufrágio, graças ao nosso amigo Arquimedes. Это необыкновенное судно было Титаником древнего мира, за исключением того, что он не затонул благодаря нашему приятелю Архимеду.