Archimedes

The Burning Mirror

Archimedes of Syracuse was the foremost mathematician, physicist, and engineer of the ancient world. He calculated an approximation of pi, founded the study of hydrostatics with his famous cry of Eureka, and explained the principle of the lever, boasting that with a place to stand he could move the earth. During the Roman siege of Syracuse he devised war machines and, by legend, mirrors to set ships ablaze; he was slain by a Roman soldier in 212 BCE while absorbed in a geometric proof.