Do you know who was described as "superhuman"by the great inventor and astronomer Galileo？It was Archimedes who solved the king's problem of the golden crown while taking a bath. He was perhaps one of the most outstanding scientists in the world. He was a mathematician，physicist，engineer，weapon designer and inventor. He was wise in philosophy，active in mathematics and physics. He was also recognized as one of the finest engineers of his time. He was born on the island of Sicily in the city of Syracuse around the year 287 BC and died in 212 BC.
Archimedes showed great love for mathematics. He made many discoveries. For example，he determined the exact value of pi. He invented and developed methods similar to calculus（微积分） and used them to find the area of a circle and an accurate estimation（估计值）
Today he is regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians in history.
Archimedes used his mathematical skills and talents to create useful inventions. One of his most famous inventions is called the Archimedes' Screw. It was a device that could lift water to higher levels. One of its first uses was to pump water out from a leaking ship. It is still used today in some places to move water from low places to high places. This invention influenced Leonardo da Vinci as he worked on developing the functioning flying machine.
Can you imagine counting the sand in the universe？Archimedes once tried to calculate the number of sand grains in the universe. Obviously ， it was impossible but it goes to show that he was too smart. His intellectual curiosity and achievements to mathematics，in general
