Identification #
"The Method" (The Method of Mechanical Theorems) is a lost work by Archimedes of Syracuse. While known in the original timeline only through a fragmented palimpsest, a complete and pristine copy was preserved in a sealed lead canister in Pompeii within the Lydian Stone divergence.
Description #
The treatise is not merely a work of geometry but a foundational text of physics. It describes the use of mechanical balance and the "method of indivisibles"—slicing 3D shapes into infinite wafers and weighing them—to determine volume and center of gravity. In the context of the Lydian Stone divergence, it is viewed as a bridge between abstract mathematics and the command of physical forces.
Provenance #
Originally authored in the 3rd century BC, the scroll was part of a private merchant's library in Pompeii. Guided by coordinates from Marcus, Ulysses and Lucia unearthed the lead canister in 2026. In the ancient timeline, Marcus invokes the "Fire of Archimedes" as a symbolic and practical justification for the adoption of gunpowder and steam power.
Function/Operation #
The text provides the theoretical framework for:
- Mechanical Advantage: Calculating the power of pulleys, levers, and gears.
- Hydrostatics: Understanding buoyancy and fluid pressure (critical for steamboat design).
- Infinite Slicing: A proto-calculus approach to engineering problems.
Scholarship/Variants #
Lucia's presentation of the text to the academic community in 2026 focused on its "illegal" nature—Archimedes' use of physical weight to prove geometric truths, a method that traditional mathematicians of his time found scandalous.