Archimedes, Father Of Science; Innovate: The Greek laid a foundation for higher disciplines of thought.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: NANCY GONDO

Archimedes often drew diagrams in sand to work out mathematical problems. Luckily for the Western world, he also kept detailed notes on his discoveries so others could learn from and expand on them.

Few details about Archimedes' childhood exist. But we do know he was born in about 287 B.C. in Syracuse, a Greek city on Sicily. He and his astronomer father, Phidias, likely studied the stars and moon.

"The boy liked nothing better than to sit for hours trying to solve the mathematical problems his father gave him," Susan Zannos wrote in "The Life and Times of Archimedes." "And more often than not, he was successful."

When he finished school in Syracuse, he headed to Alexandria, the Egyptian center of Greek art and learning. The most learned men in the world were invited to the city, which boasted a library with more than half a million books.

There, Archimedes studied astronomy, physics and math. At night he observed the stars. When he had spare time, he helped copy books by hand. Most of all, he enjoyed looking for ways to solve problems.

"No fact was unimportant; no problem was dull," wrote Jeanne Bendick in "Archimedes and the Door of Science." "Archimedes worked not only in his mind, but he also performed scientific experiments to gain knowledge and prove his ideas."