Archimedes' discovery

Archimedes was a talented Greek mathematician whose inventions changed the world. Click here to learn more about Archimedes. He is also famous for a scientific law, called the Archimedes principle, which explains why objects float or sink. 

Archimedes was asked by the king of Syracuse to test the purity of gold of his new crown and when the mathematician stepped into his bathtub he discovered what is now known as the Archimedes principle. It is said that he shouted "Eureka" (I have found it) and ran naked through the streets of Syracuse when he discovered what makes objects sink or float. 

The story of how the Archimedes principle was discovered is well-known. You can watch the next animation to see how the story came to be.