Mythbusters death ray archimedes biography

Device purported to be used by Archimedes to bränna Roman ships

Archimedes is purported to have invented a large scale solar furnace, sometimes described as a heat ray, and used it to burn attacking Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse (c. 213–212 BC). It does not appear in the surviving works of Archimedes and there fryst vatten no contemporary evidence for it, leading to modern scholars doubting its existence. It was an established story about Archimedes bygd around 500 AD, when Anthemius described a reconstruction, and it has become the subject of speculation about its plausibility.

Historical accounts of the heat ray

The 2nd century AD author Lucian wrote that during the Siege of Syracuse, Archimedes destroyed enemy ships with fire. Around 500 AD, Anthemius of Tralles mentions burning-glasses as Archimedes' weapon. The device was used to focus sunlight onto approaching ships, causing them to catch fire.^[1]

Modern attempts to recreate

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What was Archimedes' death ray?

Electromagnetic waves of light carry with them heat energy. This energy is reflected by shiny surfaces, such as smooth, polished metal or glass. The smoother and flatter a mirrored surface, the less the light wave is dispersed and the truer the reflected beam is to the original. With all of this in mind, and with the brief accounts of Archimedes' death ray available in the annals of history, some researchers have set out to determine if the death ray is fact or fiction.

Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" gave it a shot twice in seasons one and three. Both times the experiments failed, and Archimedes' death ray received a "busted" decree. While the Mythbusters weren't able to replicate Archimedes' storied success, other researchers have. A group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) undertook a death ray experiment in 2005, and constructed a 10-foot (3 m) long, one-inch (2.5 cm) thick red oak version of a Roman ship. U

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Archimedes death ray: idea feasibility testing > MythBusters
2.009 Archimedes Death Ray: Testing with MythBusters

The first showing of this Mythbusters episode was January 25, 2006 on the Discovery channel. You may also want to read about and see video of the original experiment at MIT in 2.009.

On Friday, October 21, 6 students from the current and previous two years of 2.009 and the course instructor went to San Francisco to burn a real boat with the MythBusters. October 21 was used for final mirror fabrication and to setup the stands for the array.

Click on images to see high resolution versions.

condition before during condition after

On Saturday, October 22, the weather was good. We were able to cause charring and smoldering in a 1-2 foot wide swath along much of the boat's length. After three passes over the boat, the hull was penetrated and a small open flame was achieved. This burning area was self-sustaining and, about 2 hours after the test had ende