Viggen Posted December 11, 2010 Report Share Posted December 11, 2010 Two years ago, a paper was published in Nature describing the function of the oldest known scientific computer, a device built in Greece around 100 BCE. Recovered in 1901 from a shipwreck near the island of Antikythera, this mechanism had been lost and unknown for 2000 years. It took one century for scientists to understand its purpose: it is an astronomical clock that determines the positions of celestial bodies with extraordinary precision. In 2010, a fully-functional replica was constructed out of Lego... ...read (and watch) the full article at the Guardian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted December 12, 2010 Report Share Posted December 12, 2010 I took a couple of (quite crappy) pictures of the mechanism earlier this fall, I could upload them if there's any interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted December 13, 2010 Report Share Posted December 13, 2010 Go for it, Klingan. I'm interested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted December 13, 2010 Report Share Posted December 13, 2010 The device itself. The other side. One side of the reconstruction by Derek de Solla Price. The other side of the reconstruction. I also managed to find some quotes concerning devices such as this one: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted December 15, 2010 Report Share Posted December 15, 2010 It is not only staggering that such a physically and mathematically complex device was constructed so long ago, but also that anyone (even modern scientists with modern computers) could reproduce it from such scant remains! All concerned, both ancient and modern, are deserving of my upmost respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted December 15, 2010 Report Share Posted December 15, 2010 It is not only staggering that such a physically and mathematically complex device was constructed so long ago, but also that anyone (even modern scientists with modern computers) could reproduce it from such scant remains! All concerned, both ancient and modern, are deserving of my upmost respect. Well, the modern reconstruction is impressive, but not undisputed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 It is not only staggering that such a physically and mathematically complex device was constructed so long ago, but also that anyone (even modern scientists with modern computers) could reproduce it from such scant remains! All concerned, both ancient and modern, are deserving of my upmost respect. I agree! And--many thanks to you, Klingan, for those nice photos of the mechanism, and the quotes from Cicero too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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