Surface Area of Sphere/Historical Note

Historical Note to Surface Area of Sphere

The Surface Area of Sphere was demonstrated by Archimedes

His proof appears as Proposition $34$ in his On the Sphere and Cylinder.


He also discusses this result in his The Method:

From this theorem, to the effect that a sphere is four times as great as the cone with a great circle of the sphere as base and height equal to the radius of the sphere, I conceived the notion that the surface of any sphere is four times as great as a great circle in it; for, judging from the fact that any circle is equal to a triangle with base equal to the circumference and height equal to the radius of the circle, I apprehended that, in like manner, a sphere is equal to a cone with base equal to the surface of the sphere and height equal to the radius.


Sources

  • 1992: George F. Simmons: Calculus Gems ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {A}.5$: Archimedes (ca. $\text {287}$ – $\text {212}$ B.C.)
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