Shulou(Shulou.com)05/31 Report--

Mysterious ancient equipment. Complex astronomical calculations. Precision manufacturing. It sounds like a TV show about ancient aliens. But these terms are used to describe 2000-year-old equipment found off the coast of Antiquilla in the Aegean Sea. Researcher Tony Frith wrote: "if ancient Greek scientists could make these gear systems by 2000, then the entire history of Western science and technology would have to be rewritten."

find

Shipwreck is the story of two storms. Around 60 BC, a huge cargo ship sank with great wealth to a depth of about 100 feet in a dangerous area of the sea. Sponge divers found the lost treasure after a dangerous storm in 1900. Among the findings of the nine-month evacuation from the ocean floor was a complex bell-shaped device called the Antikythera Institution.

Archaeological exploration will produce one of the greatest ancient marine relics in history, including marble and bronze statues, coins, pottery and gold jewelry. But the most important is the multi-speed mechanical astronomical calculator, which is called the oldest analog computer in the world. When it is pulled out of the water, it is about one piece, but soon the object will break down into 82 corrosive pieces. It was planned and exhibited at the Archaeological Museum in Athens. (for more information about early analog computers, see Analysis engine: reviewing Babbage's timeless design.)

Historical background

The carbon dating of other objects seems to date them to the first century BC, but by this time the Antikythera mechanism may already be an antique. The ship is believed to be from Asia minor, and archaeologist Dr. Brandon Foley speculates that it may be the dowry of a rich woman. The mechanism itself is considered to be relatively old. For more information about old (but not very old) technologies, refer to older technologies than you think.)

In 1902, archaeologist Valerios Stais conducted a preliminary investigation in the museum and found that the gear existed as a whole, believing that the organization was too complex to be carried out at the same time as other projects. It was not until Derek de Solas Price published his paper Gear from the Greeks in 1974 that he received serious treatment again. Antikythera mechanism: from ca's calendar computer. In 80 BC, "Michael Wright of the Science Museum and later Imperial College London took this research a step further." Currently, the Antikythera Institution Research Project, led by Tony Frith et al., continues to make significant progress in understanding equipment.

The Antiquisilla mechanism was made by the Greeks. Their contributions to art, philosophy and architecture are well known, but their technological progress may be surprising. The device has at least 30 gears, possibly as many as 50 or 60. Cicero (106-43 BC) mentioned similar equipment, and the technique belonged to the mathematician Archimedes (287-212 BC). And other astronomers (190-120 BC). The first possible solar eclipse noticed by this mechanism seems to refer to the date of 205 BC, so some people think the device is earlier than this one. Obviously, the machine found in the Aegean Sea is the result of years of development and may have become a miniature version of a large prototype before it was built.

Function

This mechanism has outstanding capabilities. It can show the lunar cycle, predict solar and lunar eclipses, and show the positions of the sun, moon and five known planets. It even takes part in sports competitions every four years. Mike Edmonds of Cardiff University called the discovery "more valuable than the Mona Lisa". According to Tony Fraser, this mechanism "disrupts all our thinking about the abilities of the ancient Greeks. It rewrote the history of technology."

There are some investigations in mathematics. The purpose of the device is to use periodic relations to calculate astronomy, and the key lies in the intelligent design and manufacture of interactive gears. The number of teeth on the gear is consistent with the knowledge gained from the Babylonians. The study of this mechanism is the study of astronomy.

Some of the computational problems are saros cycles (about 6585.3 days, or 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours, suitable for solar eclipses), 19-year Metonik cycles, 76-year Kalipi cycles and 54-year exemox cycles. NASA provides a clear summary of the Salas cycle with modern precision. This is the natural harmony between the three lunar orbital cycles:

Synonymous month (from new moon to new moon) = 29.530589 days = 29d 12h 44m 03s

Monthly anomaly (perigee to perigee) = 27.554550 days = 27d 13h 18m 33s.

Year of the Dragon (node to node) = 27.212221 days = 27d 05h 05m 36s

The Salas cycle is equivalent to:

23 synonym month = 6585.3223 days = 6585d 07h 43m.

29 abnormal months = 6585.5375 days = 6585d 12h 54m.

2 months = 6585.3575 days = 6585d 08h 35m.

The Greeks were very grateful to the Babylonians for most of their cosmology-including the solar eclipse 3354 described on the clay tablets in the astronomical diary, but they also sought innovation from their own mathematicians and astronomical researchers. In 432 BC, Meyton in Athens introduced the Metonik cycle. American calendar is the basis of Greek calendar. Here, we are talking about 235 lunar months, or 19 years.

The moon phase returns to about a period of the same year. The calibration cycle extends to four Metonik cycles, or 76 years (419). It was proposed by Clipps in 330 BC and is considered to be an improvement on Metonik's calculation. The Exeligmos cycle is triple Saros, that is, 54 years. This period constitutes a real solar eclipse repetition, or a solar eclipse with similar characteristics.

We won't calculate all the numbers here. But it's worth noting that

Yes, the gear with 223 teeth is responsible for calculating the eclipse of the moon and the sun. The numbers 19pr 53127 and 223 are primes and play an important role in calculation. The device even uses pins and slot mechanisms to compensate for the variable motion of the planet and the moon. For further investigation, study the Universe in the Mechanism of Antiqui by Tony Fraser and Alexander Jones. You will also benefit from two video recordings of the computer History Museum on the subject.

Description

Antikythera mechanism is an ancient portable computer. It is placed in a small wooden box with a size of 340 mm × 180 mm × 90 mm. As Fraser said: "the Antikythera mechanism is small and lightweight. They managed to stuff almost all their astronomical knowledge into this pinion. This is the" theory of almost everything "in a box, very similar to today's modern laptops."

There are two large dials on the front of the box. The outer plate shows an Egyptian calendar of 365 days. To explain the fact that leap years are not used for 365 days of the year, simply remove the pin from the dial and move it in one gear (equivalent to one day). The internal dial shows the calendar of the zodiac, including 12 celestial longitudes. The front of the device is thought to use dials to locate five known planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

The back of the computer contains two spiral dials. The top one shows a 19-year Metonic calendar, divided into 235 lunar months. The internal dial shows a 4-year Panhellenic Games and a 76-year Callippic cycle. The bottom dial shows a forecast period of 223 months based on the Saros cycle. The glyph on the dial further predicts lunar and solar eclipses, including the time of day and possibly even glowing colors. Inside that dial is the exeligmos dial. Michael Wright demonstrated that the device uses his own Antikythera mechanism model. The hand crank pushes all dials through a variety of calendars and cycles. Amazingly, in theory (allowing potential gear slippage), this ancient computer seems to be able to calculate Saros,Metonic,Calippic and Exeligmos cycles and make other measurements with amazing accuracy.

Without modern convenience like ours, the sky would be displayed to the citizens of the ancient world. It is very important for them to track the sun, moon and stars. They are a geocentric universe, understood by the celestial models of Aristotle and Ptolemy. Greek explorers were eager to know their world and everything in it. The moon phase tells them when to plant crops, fight wars, hold religious festivals or travel at night. Since ancient times, the night sky has guided the ancients, and now they can predict it by scientific means. Researcher Alexander Jones concluded in this way: "this is the height of Greek genius, the great and sacred universe, and through mechanism representatives, scientists want to show that there are no mathematical challenges beyond their abilities."

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