Archimedes' Weapon: Focussing Mirror Melts Car in London

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    Archimedes
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of a curved building in London causing a focusing mirror effect that resulted in melting a car and other heat-related incidents. Participants explore the implications of this event, drawing parallels to the historical accounts of Archimedes' burning mirror and discussing the architectural oversight involved.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that the curved design of the building created a focusing effect that led to heat damage, questioning why this was not anticipated by architects.
  • Others reference the historical legend of Archimedes and the burning mirror, discussing the origins and reliability of these accounts.
  • One participant mentions that simulations were conducted prior to construction, suggesting that unforeseen warping may have contributed to the problem.
  • Several comments reflect on the historical context of Archimedes' defenses and compare them to modern engineering challenges, with some expressing admiration for his ingenuity.
  • There are humorous and speculative remarks about the implications of Archimedes' inventions in a contemporary context, including exaggerated claims about his capabilities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of curiosity and skepticism regarding the architectural oversight and the historical accuracy of the Archimedes legend. There is no consensus on the implications of the building's design or the validity of the historical accounts.

Contextual Notes

There are references to historical events and figures that may not be universally accepted or verified, and the discussion includes speculative elements about the past and present without definitive conclusions.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring the intersections of physics, engineering, and history, particularly in the context of architectural design and historical inventions.

epenguin
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Well it's physics and current so I guess this is the place for it.

London especially the City area is changing fast by new construction; you would notice if you hadn't been for a few years, even one or two.

In a new construction apparently the architects didn't think of the focussing mirror effect of a curved building. It set things on fire, melted a guy's car, and the BBC News film showed people frying eggs in the focus, temperatures of 50 deg. were measured (don't ask me).

It's like the legend of Archimedes, I think it is considered a legend but was it based on something?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23957986
 
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I've know the building they're talking about and at first I wondered why no one considered it would be a problem but then I wondered if anyone in England has ever worried about the sun being a problem...ever...
 
Sun in England? Nah, we have a historical evidence that it was locating it that was always the problem. After all, probably that's why Stonehenge was built - so that ancient Brits would know where to look for the Sun.
 
epenguin said:
It's like the legend of Archimedes, I think it is considered a legend but was it based on something?

http://www.unmuseum.org/burning_mirror.htm

It goes something like this: the earliest accounts of Archimedes defense of Syracuse contain reports of many amazing devices, but not the burning mirror. The burning mirror doesn't show up till an account written in the 12th century. That one is supposed to be based on an earlier one which is now lost.

Anyway, we now know that if the Romans had tried to invade driving Jaguars, he could have melted them.
 
Something I posted in random thoughts:

You don't want to piss Archie off...

:devil:
attachment.php?attachmentid=61436&d=1378265553.jpg

attachment.php?attachmentid=61437&d=1378265553.jpg
 
The trouble is, you have it wrong, Enigman. "Don't disturb my circles," is the last thing he said before a Roman soldier killed him.
 
Just Idle fantasy, mon ami!

I know but he defended his circles for two whole years- slaughtering a significant portion of the roman navy with his war machines. Not a guy you want to piss off! Two years in front of the Romans and Carthage for a puny empire like Syracuse during a Punic war (pun intended)-well, can't be done without ol' Archie. HE ROCKS! The pic. was just Idle fantasy, mon ami!
p.s. Archie also launched a whole friggin' ship singlehandedly!
 
Last edited:
Enigman said:
I know but he defended his circles for two whole years- slaughtering a significant portion of the roman navy with his war machines. Not a guy you want to piss off!
In the end the Romans won and Archimedes got killed.

If you want to celebrate a guy you shouldn't piss off, you should shift your focus to Newton. For example, when his nemesis Hooke died and Newton took over the Royal Society he "disappeared" the one and only portrait there was of Hooke. Because of that, no one really knows what Hooke looked like today. Then, later, when a well known counterfeiter showed up at the mint and started offering advise, Newton had him arrested, hanged, drawn and quartered. There's more. Newton died undefeated.
 
  • #10
Newton didn't launch a ship single handedly but Archie did. Newton can't compare to Archie's warmachines. [though its a good idea for my next pic...soon after I porcupine fish slap your avatar...Don't mind me I am high on caffeine and sugar.]
 
  • #11
Ryan_m_b said:
I've know the building they're talking about and at first I wondered why no one considered it would be a problem but then I wondered if anyone in England has ever worried about the sun being a problem...ever...

I heard they did consider this ("obviously" apparently), ran a load of simulations and decided there would be no problem. I think they said that the problem was due to "warping" or something after construction, that the simulations did not take into account.
 
  • #12
Borek said:
Sun in England? Nah, we have a historical evidence that it was locating it that was always the problem. After all, probably that's why Stonehenge was built - so that ancient Brits would know where to look for the Sun.

It's out in full force today :cool:
 

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