The ancient Greek mathematician known for his work in mechanics and optics was Archimedes. Born in Syracuse around 287 BCE, he became one of antiquity’s most influential scientists and mathematicians.
Archimedes studied levers, centers of gravity, buoyancy, and hydrostatics. The famous story of him shouting “Eureka!” after discovering how to test a crown’s density is associated with his work on buoyancy, although the surviving account comes from the Roman writer Vitruvius rather than from Archimedes himself. His mathematical writings also anticipated ideas related to calculus by using geometric methods to calculate areas and volumes.
In optics, Archimedes is traditionally associated with the study of mirrors and the alleged burning of Roman ships, though the historical evidence for that weapon is uncertain. Aristotle was a philosopher, Pythagoras is linked with geometry and number theory, and Euclid is best known for the systematic Elements.