Promoting and teaching "hard" science in an amusing way: the "D omus Archimedea" approach to Greek mathematics

The "Domus Archimedea" is a Modern Science and Technological Interactive Museum in Siracusa (Italy, Sicilia region) which is dedicated to the Greek mathemati- cian Archimedes, who was born and died in this town (287 B.C. -212 B.C.). Diffe rent themes representing the several scientific branches treated by Archimedes are represented by means of appealing and original interactive exhibits: - war and peace machines (burning-glasses, catapults, screw pump etc.) attributed to Greek mathematician; - mathematics and geometry (surface and volume measures, "pi-Greek" calculation, geometrical curves, etc); - statics and hydrostatics (float ation of bodies, buoyancy of Archimedes, principle of lever, etc.) Multimedia (MM) support software allows visitors to get a self explaining tour of the museum: general information about exhibits, historical news, mathematical demonstra- tions, and sources review. The MM contents are structured in different deepening levels. The exhibits and the MM con- tents have been realized by an expert team in science com- munication of the CNR, in collaboration with some of the major Archimedes's experts in the world, as mathematical historians and researchers of Baltimora University (USA) and Pisa University (Italy).