On the lever law of Archimedes in the mechanics of bodies

Abstract

AbstractThe lever law of Archimedes is widely known since classical antiquity. It is used in many practical applications. Ample experience confirms its validity. Therefore, the lever law sometimes appears obvious or trivial. Its manifestation in the literature of physics ranges from common ignorance through rare marked appreciation to erroneous application of its mathematical content. Since medieval times, the groundbreaking findings of Galilei and Newton concerning the motion of bodies have shaped mechanics as an important branch of physics. On the contrary, it appears that the statics of antiquity with its essential element, the lever law, has gained less popularity despite its importance. In the following, this is demonstrated in terms of citations. For engineering mechanics, this implies to base the fundamental assumptions on the ideas of Archimedes and Newton as consistently as possible.