Psammites
E627476
Psammites is an ancient mathematical treatise by Archimedes in which he develops a system for expressing extremely large numbers to estimate the quantity of sand grains that could fit in the universe.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
mathematical treatise
ⓘ
work by Archimedes ⓘ |
| addressedTo | a ruler of Syracuse ⓘ |
| aimsToShow | the power of mathematical reasoning to handle enormous quantities ⓘ |
| approximateDate | 3rd century BCE ⓘ |
| assumes |
the Sun is much larger than the Earth
ⓘ
the fixed stars lie on a sphere surrounding the Sun-centered system ⓘ |
| author | Archimedes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contains | early use of a positional-like number system ⓘ |
| culturalContext | ancient Greek mathematics ⓘ |
| dedicatedTo | King Gelon II of Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| demonstrates |
that numbers larger than any previously named Greek numbers can be systematically expressed
ⓘ
that the number of grains of sand needed to fill the universe is finite ⓘ |
| develops | a system for expressing extremely large numbers ⓘ |
| field |
astronomy
ⓘ
mathematics ⓘ number theory ⓘ |
| focusesOn | arithmetical reasoning rather than geometric diagrams ⓘ |
| genre | scientific prose ⓘ |
| goal | to estimate the number of grains of sand that could fit in the universe ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName | The Sand Reckoner of Archimedes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasEnglishTitle | The Sand Reckoner NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasForm | letter-treatise ⓘ |
| hasGreekTitle | Ψαμμίτης NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasLatinTitle | Psammites NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | Hellenistic period NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | later studies of large numbers ⓘ |
| introduces |
a method to name numbers far larger than those used in everyday Greek notation
ⓘ
a system of orders of magnitude up to 10^8 per order ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
astronomical estimation
ⓘ
number notation ⓘ very large numbers ⓘ |
| modernTitle | The Sand Reckoner NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| placeOfOrigin | Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| preservedIn | medieval manuscript tradition ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Measurement of a Circle
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
On the Sphere and Cylinder NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| topic |
orbital periods of celestial bodies
ⓘ
size of the Earth ⓘ size of the Moon ⓘ size of the Sun ⓘ size of the universe ⓘ |
| usesAssumptionFrom | astronomical model of Aristarchus of Samos ⓘ |
| usesConcept |
orders and periods of numbers
ⓘ
powers of ten ⓘ |
| writtenInLanguage | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.