The Works of Archimedes

This is the second volume of the first fully-fledged English translation of the works of Archimedes - antiquity's greatest scientist and one of the most important scientific figures in history. It covers On Spirals and is based on a reconsideration of the Greek text and diagrams, now made possible through new discoveries from the Archimedes Palimpsest. On Spirals is one of Archimedes' most dazzling geometrical tours de force, suggesting a manner of 'squaring the circle' and, along the way, introducing the attractive geometrical object of the spiral. The form of argument, no less than the results themselves, is striking, and Reviel Netz contributes extensive and insightful comments that focus on Archimedes' scientific style, making this volume indispensable for scholars of classics and the history of science, and of great interest for the scientists and mathematicians of today.

• The first full English translation of the works of Archimedes, based on recent improvements in our knowledge of the text as a result of the Archimedes Palimpsest
• This second volume covers Archimedes' thinking on the spiral, one of his most striking arguments
• The detailed commentary offers an interpretation of Archimedes' scientific style and opens up new ways of thinking about the history of mathematics