Archimedes of Syracuse was an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, and inventor whose principle of water displacement inspired the design of the World’s Coolest Rain Gauge®. He wrote about the discovery in his famous work On Floating Bodies — and more than 2,000 years later, here we are, still having fun watching things float in water.

Archimedes Backyard: Resources For The Modern Gardener

lightning over a farm field at dusk

Can You Have Lightning Without Rain?

Yes, you can have lightning without rain. Learn why dry lightning happens, how lightning can travel beyond a storm, and why you may hear thunder even when your backyard stays...

Can You Have Lightning Without Rain?

Yes, you can have lightning without rain. Learn why dry lightning happens, how lightning can travel beyond a storm, and why you may hear thunder even when your backyard stays...

dog contemplating rain

Can Animals Tell When It's Going To Rain?

Can animals really tell when rain is coming? Explore how birds, frogs, dogs, insects and other animals may respond to changes in air pressure, humidity, wind and temperature—and where weather...

Can Animals Tell When It's Going To Rain?

Can animals really tell when rain is coming? Explore how birds, frogs, dogs, insects and other animals may respond to changes in air pressure, humidity, wind and temperature—and where weather...

woman on a cloudy boardwalk

How Does Rain Form—and Why Do Some Clouds Produ...

Ever wonder how a cloud turns invisible water vapor into falling rain—or why one cloud produces a light drizzle while another unleashes a downpour? Follow a raindrop from condensation to...

How Does Rain Form—and Why Do Some Clouds Produ...

Ever wonder how a cloud turns invisible water vapor into falling rain—or why one cloud produces a light drizzle while another unleashes a downpour? Follow a raindrop from condensation to...

walking on a rainy path

Understanding Rain: How It Forms, Falls and Sha...

Explore how rain forms, what happens to raindrops as they fall, why rainfall varies from place to place, and where all that water goes after it reaches the ground.

Understanding Rain: How It Forms, Falls and Sha...

Explore how rain forms, what happens to raindrops as they fall, why rainfall varies from place to place, and where all that water goes after it reaches the ground.

drought stricken plants

Can We Make It Rain? The History and Science of...

Can we really make it rain? Explore the history and science of cloud seeding, how silver iodide and other materials are used, why suitable clouds must already exist and what...

Can We Make It Rain? The History and Science of...

Can we really make it rain? Explore the history and science of cloud seeding, how silver iodide and other materials are used, why suitable clouds must already exist and what...

kids playing in puddles

Why Does Rain Smell So Good—and Can You Really ...

What causes that unmistakable smell when rain hits dry ground? Discover petrichor, geosmin and the tiny aerosols that carry the scent—and why you really can sometimes smell a storm before...

Why Does Rain Smell So Good—and Can You Really ...

What causes that unmistakable smell when rain hits dry ground? Discover petrichor, geosmin and the tiny aerosols that carry the scent—and why you really can sometimes smell a storm before...