It seems the best ideas come to us when we least expect them to.

What were you doing last time you were hit by a stroke of genius?

According to legend, Archimedes had his most famous idea when he was soaking in a public bath. He was so giddy he allegedly ran out immediately, without getting dressed first, screaming “Eureka!”.

Eureka means I found it. The legend does not tell us whether anyone asked him if he should focus on finding his pants instead.

What we do know he found is how fluids behave when an object is immersed in them. Next time you step foot in the bath, know that the water exerts a force on your feet equal to their volume multiplied by their density multiplied by gravity.

Why is that any useful? It was useful to Archimedes because it enabled him to devise a way to evaluate if a piece of jewelry was made of solid gold or not without destroying the shiny object. In modern times, from hot air balloons to astronaut training facilities, Archimedes’ principle is used extensively.

You want to try it? Log on to gameforscience and try it out at the Lab! A new interactive animation by eduMedia allows you to experiment with it. No public bath needed.