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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Teams Try to Recreate Ancient |
| 2005-10-23 |
| SAN FRANCISCO (Oct. 22) - It wasn't exactly the ancient siege of Syracuse, but rather a curious quest for scientific validation. According to sparse historical writings, the Greek mathematician Archimedes torched a fleet of invading Roman ships by reflecting the sun's powerful rays with a mirrored device made of glass or bronze. More than 2,000 years later, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Arizona set out to recreate Archimedes' fabled death ray Saturday in an experiment sponsored by the Discovery Channel program "MythBusters." Their attempts to set fire to an 80-year-old fishing boat using their own versions of the device, however, failed to either prove or dispel the myth of the solar death ray. The MIT team's first attempt with their contraption made of 300 square feet of bronze and glass failed to ignite a fire from 150 feet away. It produced smoldering on the boat's wooden surface but no open flame. A second attempt from about 75 feet away lit only a small fire that burned itself out. Mike Bushroe of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory tried a mirrored system shaped like flower petals, but it failed to produce either smoke or flames. Peter Rees, executive producer of "MythBusters," said the experiment showed Archimedes' death ray was most likely a myth. "We're not saying it can't be done," Rees said. "We're just saying it's extremely impractical as a weapon of war." The experiment showed it may be technically possible, but didn't answer whether Archimedes used it to destroy enemy ships, MIT professor David Wallace said. "Who can say whether Archimedes did it or not?" he said. "He's one of the great mathematical minds in history. I wouldn't want to underestimate his intelligence or ability." Historical text describes Archimedes defeating a Roman fleet using the ray. In "Epitome ton Istorion," John Zonaras wrote: "At last in an incredible manner he burned up the whole Roman fleet. For by tilting a kind of mirror toward the sun he concentrated the sun's beam upon it; and owing to the thickness and smoothness of the mirror he ignited the air from this beam and kindled a great flame, the whole of which he directed upon the ships that lay at anchor in the path of the fire, until he consumed them all." "MythBusters" also tried to recreate the ray last year, and after failing, declared the story a myth. "If this weapon had worked, it would have been the equivalent of a nuclear weapon in the ancient world," Rees said. |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #12 I agree with the "Blinding" theory. As far as the burning... could not flammable petro-like stuff have been set afloat in calm waters near the expected invasion area and then set afire about the same time of trying to blind the boat crews? Where there is smoke there is fire and I am sure that all legends have a nugget of truth somewhere. |
| Posted by: Thresh Fligum4577 2005-10-23 23:24 |
| #11 As I recall my history lessons, he didn't use any "Device" he used a whole Army, they were told to polish their shields to a high shine, and the entire army stood on the hills by the shore and used their shiny shields to reflect the low morning sun on the fleet of incoming ships. Think of the magnitudes of difference here, first you have the low to the horizon sun (Easy to reflect back out to sea) then you have the terorizing effect of thousands of shields reflecting across the water ("Shit, where'd all those indians come from") and the heat from those shield reflections. If they never sank a single ship, the :Oh Shit" effect would be huge. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2005-10-23 19:49 |
| #10 Actually, Archimedes speciality, beside mathematics and trigonometry, was hydraulics. That may give you a clue how this was done. The mirrors were probably used to hide the nasty component from enemy eyes, by blinding light. for the most part, although there may have been some marginal effect on the weapon component. To get another clue, there was a substance that in some ancient documents was refered to as "greek fire". Whenever it was deployed, it kept burning, even under water. Ref.: http://www.cslforum.org/italy.htm http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/publications/reports/ser/oil/oil.asp http://stronghold.heavengames.com/sc/history/greekfire |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-10-23 19:17 |
| #9 All he'd have to do is set fire to one ship, and even if it didn't completely burn he'd freak out the rest. I wonder what supplies a Roman invasion fleet would have been carrying, and whether they'd be more flammable than fishing boat tackle. |
| Posted by: James 2005-10-23 18:54 |
| #8 Maybe, just maybe. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-10-23 17:36 |
| #7 Maybe if they tried it Maybe if they tried |
| Posted by: Scotty the Engineering Marvel 2005-10-23 15:17 |
| #6 Maybe if they tried it at the equator, it would have worked. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-10-23 14:47 |
| #5 Thought the one where they tried out "explosive decompression" on a airplane was good. |
| Posted by: Charles 2005-10-23 14:11 |
| #4 NO BLOOD FOR PHOTONS! |
| Posted by: Korora 2005-10-23 12:37 |
| #3 I liked the canon made from a tree trunk the best. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-10-23 11:36 |
| #2 Yeah, Mythbusters is pretty kooL to watch. I liked the one where they shot the plane with chickens out of a cannon. |
| Posted by: God Save The World AKA Oztralian 2005-10-23 07:41 |
| #1 I like the show,they do some cool stuff.Watched one the other day,in wich they showed an ancient Chinnies device purported to be used for detecting mining operations(used for undermining city walls)worked. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-10-23 07:15 |