independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > General Discussion > Mechanical Computer......in 150B.C.
« Previous topic  Next topic »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 05/19/10 6:20pm

Graycap23

Mechanical Computer......in 150B.C.

Check this out.

The Antikythera mechanism (pronounced /ˌæntɪkɪˈθɪərə/ AN-ti-ki-THEER-ə), is an ancient mechanical computer[1][2] designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1900–01 from the Antikythera wreck,[3] but its complexity and significance were not understood until decades later. It is now thought to have been built about 150–100 BC. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks appeared in Europe.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/w..._mechanism
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 05/19/10 6:25pm

PurpleDiamond2
009

hmmm interesting i might look into more once i get the chance
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 05/19/10 6:29pm

NDRU

avatar

Cool!

I remember reading about what appeared to be an ancient battery from around the same time.

http://www.iranchamber.co...attery.php

We like to think we're so much more advanced than older civilizations, but the fact is we're not much different. There are still idiots now, and there were geniuses back then. And much of what we "discover" has already been discovered by someone else.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 05/19/10 6:34pm

Graycap23

NDRU said:

Cool!

I remember reading about what appeared to be an ancient battery from around the same time.

http://www.iranchamber.co...attery.php

We like to think we're so much more advanced than older civilizations, but the fact is we're not much different. There are still idiots now, and there were geniuses back then. And much of what we "discover" has already been discovered by someone else.

Exactly right.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 05/19/10 6:40pm

unique

avatar

Graycap23 said:

Check this out.

The Antikythera mechanism (pronounced /ˌæntɪkɪˈθɪərə/ AN-ti-ki-THEER-ə), is an ancient mechanical computer[1][2] designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1900–01 from the Antikythera wreck,[3] but its complexity and significance were not understood until decades later. It is now thought to have been built about 150–100 BC. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks appeared in Europe.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/w..._mechanism


thats what i use at my work. i'm due an upgrade
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 05/19/10 11:36pm

Genesia

avatar

The abacus is even older than that. It, too, is a mechanical computer.
We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 05/20/10 1:45am

ZombieKitten

unique said:

Graycap23 said:

Check this out.

The Antikythera mechanism (pronounced /ˌæntɪkɪˈθɪərə/ AN-ti-ki-THEER-ə), is an ancient mechanical computer[1][2] designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1900–01 from the Antikythera wreck,[3] but its complexity and significance were not understood until decades later. It is now thought to have been built about 150–100 BC. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks appeared in Europe.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/w..._mechanism


thats what i use at my work. i'm due an upgrade


falloff
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 05/20/10 2:14am

Lammastide

avatar

Impressive. And it was found right near the island of Rhodes, where the famous Colossus, a giant statue of Helios, was built. It was an engineering marvel itself and is considered one of the wonders of the ancient world. Assuming the same civilization bore these two creations, they were pretty hardcore.
Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 05/20/10 12:57pm

XxAxX

avatar

Genesia said:

The abacus is even older than that. It, too, is a mechanical computer.



i was going to say that too.

also, the sextant is an interesting piece of early work.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 05/20/10 5:25pm

NDRU

avatar

XxAxX said:

Genesia said:

The abacus is even older than that. It, too, is a mechanical computer.



i was going to say that too.

also, the sextant is an interesting piece of early work.


not to knock the abacus, but it's more of a method than a machine. it's not particularly mechanically impressive.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 05/20/10 5:51pm

thepope2the9s

avatar

Technology and knowledge existed thousands of years ago that trumps are own.
Lost civilizations of the past had knowledget hat today we do not posess today
Do you really think the pyramids that still stand were built by hand?
Stand Up! Everybody, this is your life!
https://www.facebook.com/...pope2the9s follow me on twitter @thepope2the9s
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 05/20/10 5:53pm

Genesia

avatar

NDRU said:

XxAxX said:




i was going to say that too.

also, the sextant is an interesting piece of early work.


not to knock the abacus, but it's more of a method than a machine. it's not particularly mechanically impressive.


Seeing as how an abacus is a physical object, I'm not sure how you can call it a "method." confuse
We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 05/20/10 5:54pm

Graycap23

thepope2the9s said:

Technology and knowledge existed thousands of years ago that trumps are own.
Lost civilizations of the past had knowledget hat today we do not posess today
Do you really think the pyramids that still stand were built by hand?

Anyone that does needs his/her head examined.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 05/20/10 6:12pm

NDRU

avatar

Genesia said:

NDRU said:



not to knock the abacus, but it's more of a method than a machine. it's not particularly mechanically impressive.


Seeing as how an abacus is a physical object, I'm not sure how you can call it a "method." confuse


it's an object, but it's not a feat of engineering like a clock, a computer, a rocket ship, the great pyramids...

it's just some rocks on sliders. The brilliance of the abacus is the method it employs, not the engineering.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > General Discussion > Mechanical Computer......in 150B.C.