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

rain falling on a blue umbrella

How Much Rain Can Fall in an Hour?

How hard can it actually rain? Learn how extreme downpours can produce inches of rain in an hour, why thunderstorms can release so much water so quickly, and why rainfall...

How Much Rain Can Fall in an Hour?

How hard can it actually rain? Learn how extreme downpours can produce inches of rain in an hour, why thunderstorms can release so much water so quickly, and why rainfall...

rain gauge in garden setting

What Does an Inch of Rain Mean? Rainfall Amount...

What does an inch of rain actually mean? See what 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2 inches of rain represent—and how those amounts translate into gallons across a roof, yard,...

What Does an Inch of Rain Mean? Rainfall Amount...

What does an inch of rain actually mean? See what 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2 inches of rain represent—and how those amounts translate into gallons across a roof, yard,...

dark sky ahead of rain

Why Does the Sky Turn Dark or Green Before a St...

Why does the sky turn dark—or sometimes green—before a thunderstorm? Learn what causes sudden temperature drops, gust fronts, hail, downdrafts and microbursts as a storm approaches.

Why Does the Sky Turn Dark or Green Before a St...

Why does the sky turn dark—or sometimes green—before a thunderstorm? Learn what causes sudden temperature drops, gust fronts, hail, downdrafts and microbursts as a storm approaches.

rainbow over a valley

How Do Rainbows Form—and What Causes a Double R...

How does a rainbow form, and why do double rainbows have reversed colors? Learn how sunlight, water droplets, refraction and reflection create rainbows—and why you can spot them in rain,...

How Do Rainbows Form—and What Causes a Double R...

How does a rainbow form, and why do double rainbows have reversed colors? Learn how sunlight, water droplets, refraction and reflection create rainbows—and why you can spot them in rain,...

lightning across a dark sky

What Causes Thunder And Lightning? How Far Away...

What causes lightning and thunder, and why do you see the flash before you hear the boom? Learn how thunderstorms create lightning, what makes thunder rumble, and how to estimate...

What Causes Thunder And Lightning? How Far Away...

What causes lightning and thunder, and why do you see the flash before you hear the boom? Learn how thunderstorms create lightning, what makes thunder rumble, and how to estimate...

girl laughing in rain

What Is a Sunshower—and How Can It Rain While t...

How can it rain while the sun is shining? Learn what causes a sunshower, how wind carries rain beyond its clouds, and why sunshowers often produce rainbows.

What Is a Sunshower—and How Can It Rain While t...

How can it rain while the sun is shining? Learn what causes a sunshower, how wind carries rain beyond its clouds, and why sunshowers often produce rainbows.