How a Historical Interpretation of Archimedes’ Discovery Can Help First-Year Gymnasium Students Understand Density of Materials

PDF (ελληνικά)
Published: Apr 6, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/codiste.7575
Keywords:
high school physics density measurement of volume Law of Buoyancy
Victoria E. Christodoulou
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1350-0593
Κωνσταντίνος Κώτσης
Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων
Abstract

The incident in which Archimedes enthusiastically exclaimed 'Eureka' upon discovering the solution to the problem of the authenticity of the king's gold crown is one of the most famous in the history of science. Historical records allow for different interpretations regarding the exact method Archimedes used to solve the problem. In Greek Gymnasium textbooks, this historical event is mentioned only in the physics curriculum of the second grade of Gymnasium, within the unit on buoyancy. The present study proposes the integration of this historical event into the teaching of First-Year Gymnasium Physics, specifically in the laboratory process of measuring the volume of solid objects and in introducing the concept of material density—both of which constitute applications of one version of the method Archimedes devised.

Article Details
  • Section
  • 14th Panhellenic Conference of Didactics in Science Education
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Αντωνίου, Ν., Δημητριάδης, Π., Καμπούρης, Κ., Παπαμιχάλης, Κ., & Παπατσίμπα, Λ. (2008). Φυσική Β’ Γυμνασίου- Σχολικό Βιβλίο Μαθητή. Υπουργείο Παιδείας, Έρευνας και Θρησκευμάτων, Ινστιτούτο Εκπαιδευτικής Πολιτικής.
Αντωνίου, Ν., Δημητριάδης, Π., Καμπούρης, Κ., Παπαμιχάλης, Κ., & Παπατσίμπα, Λ. (2008). Φυσική Β’ Γυμνασίου- Εργαστηριακός Οδηγός. Υπουργείο Παιδείας, Έρευνας και Θρησκευμάτων, Ινστιτούτο Εκπαιδευτικής Πολιτικής.
Ινστιτούτο Εκπαιδευτικής Πολιτικής, (2023). Πρόγραμμα Σπουδών για το μάθημα της Φυσικής στις Α’, Β’ και Γ’ τάξεις Γυμνασίου. https://iep.edu.gr/el/nea-ps-provoli
Ινστιτούτο Εκπαιδευτικής Πολιτικής, (2024). Οδηγίες Διδασκαλίας μαθήματος Φυσικής για το σχολικό έτος 2024-2025. 139499_2_ΣΥΝ_114257_ΦΥΣΙΚΗ_Α_Β_Γ_ΓΥΜΝ_2024_25.pdf
Costanti, F. (2010). The Golden Crown: A Discussion. 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. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9091-1_15
Fermi, L., & Bernardini, G. (2003). Galileo Galilei: The Little Balance. In Galileo and the Scientific Revolution, Dover Publications. ISBN: 0486432262
Kuroki, H. (2010). What Did Archimedes Find at “Eureka” Moment? In S. Paipetis, M. Ceccarelli, (Eds.), The Genius of Archimedes -23 Centuries of Influence on Mathematics, Science and Engineering. History of Mechanism and Machine Science (Vol.11). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9091-1_18
Morgan, M.H. (1914). Vitruvius: The Ten Books on Architecture, Book IX (pp. 253-254). Harvard University Press. https://archive.org/details/vitruviustenbook00vitruoft