NOVA - Infinite Secrets: The Genius of Archimedes |  | Studio: WGBH Boston
List Price: $19.95
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Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 25948
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 60 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WG37039
ISBN: 1593751060
UPC: 783421370395
EAN: 9781593751067
ASIN: B0001WTX7S
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
Release Date: January 6, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | In 1991, a small Medieval prayer book was sold at auction. Miraculously, some original writings of Archimedes, the brilliant Greek mathematician, were discovered hidden beneath the religious text. Through scholarly detective work with the help of modern technology, this book now reveals Archimedes stunningly original concepts, ideas, and theories revelations that, if known sooner, might have resha |
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Product Description
In 1991 a small Medieval prayer book was sold at auction. Miraculously some original writings of Archimedes the brilliant Greek mathematician were discovered hidden beneath the religious text. Through scholarly detective work with the help of modern technology this book now reveals Archimedes stunningly original concepts ideas and theories revelations that if known sooner might have reshaped our world.Many historic figures have been hailed as ahead of their time. Few if any are said to be centuries ahead of their time. The Einstein of his era Archimedes had a sophisticated understanding of mathematics and designed marvelous war machines for his native Syracuse to use against the invading Romans. Many of Archimedes works disappeared during the Middle Ages but some survived to help inspire the scientific revolution in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. One document that seemed irretrievably lost was his final treatise The Method which reputedly explained how he achieved his brilliant results secrets he revealed nowhere else. Now over 2200 years later the discovery of The Method has experts and scientists dreaming of what might have been if Renaissance thinkers and other great minds had known of his ideas and been able to build on them.NOVA explores Archimedes rare writings as well as the book s mysterious beginnings tumultuous history and amazing discovery. As the ancient text comes back from the dead it unlocks its revolutionary contents the infinite secrets of one of history s greatest thinkers.System Requirements:Running Time: 60 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 783421370395 Manufacturer No: WG37039
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
Not as good as the book August 29, 2009
P. Christie (Santa Fe, NM)
I have to agree somewhat with those reviews that were disappointed in the lack of content dealing with Archimedes.
In that context the book was better, although a better documentary of Archimedes and the discovery of the codex could be a succesful commercial enterprise.
Good Sub material May 4, 2009
snake plisken (Jacksonville, TX USA)
I teach high school physics and I am always looking for relevant, not-too-pithy material to leave when I have a substitute. I stumbled upon this dvd and it fit the bill. The length was about right for one class, and Archimedes has always been a favorite of mine. I'd give this 5 stars, but I really wanted more of a biography and coverage of his works, whereas this was really as much about that as it was concerned with the detective story centered around the manuscript.
 Rather brief December 28, 2008
R. S. Rehmel
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had purchased this hoping it to be more about Archimedes. Instead it follows the discovery of a manuscript with Archimedes writings on it. I have read the book that inspired this documentary and it covers the subject briefly but well.
 Prepare to be disappointed October 15, 2008
Daniel E. Shapiro
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I used to enjoy NOVA but not lately. Like most American produced TV this is really dumbed down. This particular NOVA is typical - lots of sizzle and a bit of steak. Perhaps I was expecting too much. I wanted to learn more about Archimedes and his work. Instead I got lot's of information about how a 10th copy of Archimedes manuscript was oblitereated with religous nonsense and half of it was rediscovered. Religeous prayers written over a washed out Archemedes treatice - What a contrast!
Archimedes was the greatest ancient Greek and if you consider what he discovered and did in the 3rd century BC he must be the greatest genius to date! This episode of NOVA teases us with his mathematics without really explaining why the calculus is so important to science and technology. It then muses as to what the world would be like today if his treatise "The Method" was not lost. They seem to omit the fact that what little of Archimedes that did survive for example "the law of the lever", "the laws of hydostatics", etc. were major inputs into the Renaissance and the observationally based scientific method which Archimedes clearly understood.
 excellent companion to The Archimedes Codex October 1, 2008
Mark Cassidy (Naugatuck, CT USA)
I finished reading The Archimedes Codex and enjoyed that immensely. Then I found this NOVA program covering the same ground in a more accessible format. It is a very good summary of the book in many ways and introduces a number of the main contributors to the project.
If you have not read the book, then you will probably want to after you see this show.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
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