Apple engineer uses Lego to rebuild Antikythera mechanism

Post by jacquesm » Sat, Dec 11, 2010, 12:48 PM UTC

Luyt wrote: post #23

jacquesm wrote: post #17

What should really blow your mind is the precision of the original metalworking and gearing, well before the age of clockmaking and watchmaking. An item like that to spring in to existence without any record of a history leading up to it or a history of devices descending from it really makes you wonder whose imagination it sprang from and why it wasn't recognized that these principles had further application, or, al…

It's a wonderful piece of engineering indeed, but not the first one. Gears were used long before that ( http://www.nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT-MADRAS/Machine_Desig... ), as early as 2600 BC for opening doors, lifting water and measuring distances. Archimedes used gears for all kind of stuff in 330 BC (See http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/ArchimedesGears.htm ) An explanation for that fact that so few devices remain that…

Post by bshep » Sat, Dec 11, 2010, 3:15 PM UTC

Luyt wrote: post #22

noonespecial wrote: post #16

I've always thought that "Math with gears" would be a fascinating elective course and should be included with most engineering programs.

You will love the mechanical analog ballistic computers of 50's: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/19/how-a-1950s-ballisti.ht... It explains all the mechanics used for adders, integrators, differentiators, etc... very insightful.

Post by damoncali » Sat, Dec 11, 2010, 5:35 PM UTC

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Dec 11, 2010, 6:16 PM UTC

Luyt wrote: post #23

jacquesm wrote: post #17

What should really blow your mind is the precision of the original metalworking and gearing, well before the age of clockmaking and watchmaking. An item like that to spring in to existence without any record of a history leading up to it or a history of devices descending from it really makes you wonder whose imagination it sprang from and why it wasn't recognized that these principles had further application, or, al…

It's a wonderful piece of engineering indeed, but not the first one. Gears were used long before that ( http://www.nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT-MADRAS/Machine_Desig... ), as early as 2600 BC for opening doors, lifting water and measuring distances. Archimedes used gears for all kind of stuff in 330 BC (See http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/ArchimedesGears.htm ) An explanation for that fact that so few devices remain that…

Post by pohl » Sat, Dec 11, 2010, 8:13 PM UTC

Luyt wrote: post #21

Brian Dunning wrote an interesting article about the Antikythera Mechanism: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4184 "Astronomers and astrologers probably could not have afforded it. It could have been used as an education tool. Most likely it was built for wealthy Romans who had some interest in its features, probably not too different from early adopters who wanted to have the first iPhone with all the cool apps."