Discussion Overview
The discussion centers around the recreation of the Archimedes Death Ray, a historical concept involving the use of mirrors to focus sunlight to ignite enemy ships. Participants explore the feasibility of this idea through various experiments and historical references, including recent attempts by students and previous tests conducted by shows like Mythbusters.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Technical explanation
Main Points Raised
- Some participants mention a recent student experiment that successfully recreated the Archimedes Death Ray using mirrors to test temperature increases.
- Others point out that an architect had previously achieved similar results years before the student, suggesting a history of attempts to recreate the concept.
- One participant references a Disney building that utilized curved glass to raise temperatures in nearby structures, indicating practical applications of similar principles.
- Mythbusters is cited as having tested the concept, concluding that the Death Ray would not have worked effectively due to ignition time and wood moisture content.
- A participant recalls an earlier Usenet post by Henry Spencer discussing a potential recreation, possibly referring to Ioannis Sakkas's experiment in 1973, and mentions MIT professor David Wallace's later tests suggesting some feasibility.
- There is a humorous exchange about the aircraft depicted in a related image, with conflicting identifications of the plane type.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the feasibility and historical context of the Archimedes Death Ray, with no consensus reached on its effectiveness or the validity of various claims regarding prior experiments.
Contextual Notes
Limitations include the lack of definitive evidence supporting the effectiveness of the Death Ray, varying interpretations of historical experiments, and the dependence on specific conditions for the proposed methods to work.
Who May Find This Useful
Readers interested in historical experiments, the intersection of science and engineering, and discussions on the feasibility of ancient technologies may find this thread engaging.