Book:Archimedes/The Sand-Reckoner/Historical Note
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Historical Note on The Sand-Reckoner by Archimedes
The Sand-Reckoner by Archimedes was addressed to King Gelon of Syracuse (who appears to have lived some $250$ years earlier).
It is in this book that we learn that Aristarchus of Samos had first proposed a heliocentric universe, nearly $2000$ years before Nicolaus Copernicus.
Sources
- 1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): $10^{51}$
- 1992: George F. Simmons: Calculus Gems ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {A}.5$: Archimedes (ca. $\text {287}$ – $\text {212}$ B.C.)
- 1997: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): $10^{51}$