"Don't ruin my circles."

Archimedes (c. 287 BC – c. 212 BC) sat at his drawing table in his home in Syracuse, Sicily. He was working on a theorem again, as he had done so many times before. A Roman soldier broke into the room and grabbed the old man, flashed his sword at Archimedes' neck. The Greek mathmetician, astronomer, physicist, engineer and inventor died, a victim of the Roman conquest.

His last words were, "Don't ruin my circles."

Archimedes is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and the explanation of the principle of the lever. He is credited with designing innovative machines, including siege engines and the screw pump that bears his name. Modern experiments have tested claims that Archimedes designed machines capable of lifting attacking ships out of the water and setting ships on fire using an array of mirrors.

Archimedes is generally considered to be the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest of all time. He used the method of exhaustion to calculate the area under the arc of a parabola with the summation of an infinite series, and gave a remarkably accurate approximation of pi. He also defined the spiral bearing his name, formulas for the volumes of surfaces of revolution and an ingenious system for expressing very large numbers.

Archimedes died during the Siege of Syracuse when he was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders that he should not be harmed. Cicero describes visiting the tomb of Archimedes, which was surmounted by a sphere inscribed within a cylinder. Archimedes had proven that the sphere has two thirds of the volume and surface area of the cylinder (including the bases of the latter), and regarded this as the greatest of his mathematical achievements.

One of my University professors claimed that no human mind has ever surpassed the brilliance of Archimedes. If you challenge that, Google him and read about his accomplishments.

My new mantra will be "Don't ruin my circles." I love it! It is appropriate for any artist, writer, thinker, or tinkerer.