Ντοκιμαντέρ του Nature για τον μηχανισμό των Αντικυθήρων

Two years ago, a paper was published in Nature describing the function of the oldest known scientific computer, a device built in Greece around 100 BCE. Recovered in 1901 from a shipwreck near the island of Antikythera, this mechanism had been lost and unknown for 2000 years. It took one century for scientists to understand its purpose: it is an astronomical clock that determines the positions of celestial bodies with extraordinary precision. In 2010, a fully-functional replica was constructed out of Lego.

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For those of you who, like me, wish to learn more about this ancient computer, here's a video interview that documents how scientists went about examining this device.

After a lot of study, a group of scientists determined that the Antikythera Mechanism could predict eclipses, and that it had a dial to record the dates of the ancient Olympiads. The 2,000-year-old box of intricate gearwork provides a glimpse of the engineering prowess of the Hellenic world. The team discuss their results here, in this video:

Part 1:

This video is from 11 December 2008 (part 1).
Nature has its own YouTube Channel.


Part 2:
This video is from 11 December 2008 (part 2).
Nature has its own YouTube Channel.

Source:
Marchant, J. (2010). Ancient astronomy: Mechanical inspiration. Nature, 468 (7323), 496-498 DOI: 10.1038/468496a


Πηγή άρθρου: http://www.guardian.co.uk/