← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Sertorius
Thread ID: 20566 | Posts: 4 | Started: 2005-10-08
2005-10-08 13:10 | User Profile
Ancient Greek and Roman historians recorded that during the siege of Syracuse in 212 BC, Archimedes (a notably smart person) constructed a burning glass to set the Roman warships, anchored within bow and arrow range, afire. The story has been much debated and oft dismissed as myth.
TV's MythBusters were not able to replicate the feat and ââ¬Åbustedââ¬Â the myth.
Intrigued by the idea and an intuitive belief that it could work, MIT's 2.009ers decided to apply the early product development ââ¬Ësketch or soft modelingââ¬â¢ process to the problem.
Our goal was not to make a decision on the mythââ¬âwe just wanted to assess if it was at least possible, and have some fun in the process. Jumping ahead, you can see the resultââ¬Â¦ but letââ¬â¢s start at the beginning of the process.
(btw, the boat is made of 1" thick red oak and this is a photoshop-free zone!) [Rest of the article with photos.] [url]http://web.mit.edu/2.009/www/lectures/10_ArchimedesResult.html[/url]
2005-10-08 18:51 | User Profile
That's a pretty neat experiment they did. One complicating factor I didn't see them take into account (I glanced over the article quickly, so maybe I missed it) is the probable wetness of the wood. I suppose the array of mirrors could be aimed at a point on the ship's hull fairly high above the water, but moisture could even be a problem there due to waves battering the sides of the ship.
2005-10-08 19:24 | User Profile
Sert,
I recall another variation on this Archimedean weapon which featured several hunded soldiers all focusing highly-polished, full-length shields on one point on a boat about 100 feet offshore...after about a minute it burst into flames at the focus point.
[img]http://www.missioncollege.org/depts/math/porter_files/image026.gif[/img]
2005-10-08 19:45 | User Profile
Angler,
Good point about the moisture.
I got a kick out of that experiment as well. I wonder if the real purpose wasn't to use mirrors to set quinquiremes aflame, but to blind the crews from being able to fire at the Syracusian archers shooting fire arrows into their vessels.
Now, are the MIT worthies going to try to replicate Achimede's device that allegedlly hooked ships and uprighted them using principles of weight?
BOOK XXIV Epicydes replied that if the Roman mission had been addresed to him and his brother, they would have given an answer; but, as things were, the envoys had better come again when the control of Syracuse was in the hands of those to whom they really wished to address themselves. 'And if you attack us, he added, 'experience will soon show you that an attempt upe Syracuse is by no means the same thing as an attempt upon Leontini.' This said, he walked off and had the city gates shut behind him. From that moment the attack upon Syracuse was begun simultaneously by land at the Hexapylon and by water on Achradina, the wall of which runs down into the sea. The Romans, inspired by their success in taking Leontini at first overwhelming thrust, were confident of their ability to penetrate, at one point or another, into a vast and sprawling town like Syracuse, and accordingly moved into position all the assault artillery they possessed. 34. An operation launched with such strength behind it might well have proved successful, had it not been for the presence in Syracuse at that time of one particular individual- Archimedes. Archimedes, unrivalled in his knowledge of astronomy, was even more remarkable as the inventor and constructor of types of artillery and military devices of various kinds, by the aid of which he was able by one finger, as it were, to frustrate the most laborious operations of the enemy. The city wall ran over ground of varying altitude: in most places it was high and difficult of access, but here and there were level stretches which could be approached along low, flat ground; and along the whole extent of it Archimedes had moved into position the type of artillery which he thought suitable for the various sections. Marcellus, for his part, began the attack on the defences of Achradina, which, as I have said, run down to the water, from sixty quinquiremes. On most of the ships archers and slingers - and also light troops armed with a special javelin which anyone not used to it finds difficult to hurl - made it almost impossible for any defender to stand on the wall without being hit. These troops kept their vessels somewhat away from the wall, as they needed range for their missiles; other quinquiremes were lashed together in pairs, one close alongside the other with the inner banks of oars removed; each pair was propelled, like a single vessel, by the outer banks of oars, and they were employed to carry towers, several storeys high, and other devices for breaching defences. This elaborate sea-borne attack Archimedes countered by moving into position on the walls pieces of artillery of varying size; at the ships off-shore he hurled stones of enormous weight, assailing those closer in with missiles which, though lighter, could for that reason be discharged more frequently. Then, to enable his own men to discharge their missiles at the enemy without danger to themselves, he made rows of loopholes, ranging from top to bottom of the wall and some eighteen niches wide, through which, themselves unseen, they could shoot at the enemy either with arrows or with smallish catapults. Some of the enemy ships came close in-shore, too close for the artillery to touch them; and these he dealt with by using a swing-beam and grapnel. The method was this: the swing-beam projected over the wall and an iron grapnel was attached to it on a heavy chain; the grapnel was lowered on to a vessel's bows, and the beam was then swung up, the other arm being brought to the ground by the shifting of a leaden a weight; the result was to stand the ship, so to speak, on her tail, bows in air, Then the whole contraption was suddenly let go, and the ship, falling smash as it were from the wall into the water (to the great alarm of the crew), was more or less swamped even if it happened to come down on an even keel. Livy, The War with Hannibal.