On Floating Bodies
by Archimedes · Περὶ ὀχουμένων
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 250 BCE
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Short · 50 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Works of Archimedes, translated by T. L. HeathDover, 2002The treatise is not sold separately; Heath's collected edition is the standard.
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A treatise in two books that founds the science of hydrostatics. From a single postulate about the pressure of a fluid, Archimedes proves that a body lighter than a fluid floats with a submerged part whose weight of fluid equals the body's weight, and that a body immersed in a fluid is pushed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced, the principle that bears his name. Book two applies the results to the stability of floating segments of paraboloids, a problem relevant to the design of ships' hulls.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns On Floating Bodies are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
