Archimedes in his bath. Engraving of the Greek mathematician and physicist, Archimedes, (c.287- 212 BC) in his bath. It is here he is said to have discovered the Archimedes principle which considers the weight and volume of a body immersed in a fluid (liquid or gas). Known as the greatest mathematician of ancient times, Archimedes studied in Alexandria (his teacher, Conon, had been taught by Euclid), and returned to his native Syracuse in Sicily. He used experiments to test his theories which were then expressed mathematically. With geometry he measured volumes of solids and calculated a value for pi". He was also the founder of mechanics."