Abstract
Archimedes practices the heuristic method of analysis and synthesis only in Book II of his On the Sphere and Cylinder. This paper has a twofold objective. Firstly, the discussion of his analytical practice through the first problem of Book II, in relation to Pappus’ study of the method of analysis and synthesis in Book VII of his Mathematical Collection. The conclusion of this discussion is that Archimedes applies the analytical method in a way, which does not substantially differ from Pappus’ way. Secondly, the discussion about the missing part from the analysis of problem 4 of On the Sphere and Cylinder, II, combined with the above conclusion, lead us to advance a conjecture vis-à-vis a lost analytical treatise of Archimedes under the title Book of Data.
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Fournarakis, P., Christianidis, J. (2010). On Archimedes’ Pursuit Concerning Geometrical Analysis. In: Paipetis, S., Ceccarelli, M. (eds) The Genius of Archimedes -- 23 Centuries of Influence on Mathematics, Science and Engineering. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9091-1_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9091-1_6
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