When Archimedes returned to Syracuse, his interest in things aquatic did not stop. He continued his research in the principles of hydraulics and another field he largely invented, hydrostatics, or the study of fluids at rest. This is the origin of the most famous story about Archimedes. It tells how the king of Syracuse, Hiero II, once asked him to figure out the gold content of a certain sacrificial wreath or crown. Archimedes was pondering the problem as he eased himself into his morning bath, noticed the water spilling over the sides of the bath, and realized that by weighing the volume of
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