Archimedes mirrors

Archimedes may have used mirrors acting together as a parabolic reflector of sunlight to burn ships attacking Syracuse. Author 2nd century n. er Lucian wrote that during the siege of Syracuse (c. 214-212 BCE), Archimedes destroyed enemy ships with fire. Centuries later, Anthimius of Tralles (Anthemius of Tralles) mentions him as a weapon of Archimedes. The device, sometimes referred to as the Archimedes heat ray, was used to focus sunlight on approaching ships, causing them to light up. In modern times, such devices were built and may be called heliostat or solar furnace. ^[one]

This alleged weapon has been the subject of ongoing debate about its authenticity since the Renaissance. Rene Descartes dismissed it as false, while modern researchers attempted to recreate the effect using only the means that were available to Archimedes. ^[2] It was suggested that a large set of highly polished bronze or copper shields acting as mirrors could be used to focus sunlight on a ship.

The test of the heat ray of Archimedes was conducted in 1973 by the Greek scientist Ioannis Sakkas. The experiment took place at the naval base of Skaramagas outside Athens. On this occasion, 70 mirrors were used, each with a copper coating and measuring about five by three feet (1.5 by 1 m). The mirrors focused on a plywood mock-up of a Roman warship at a distance of about 160 feet (50 m). When the mirrors were precisely focused, the ship caught fire in a few seconds. The plywood ship had a resin coating that could contribute to burning. ^[3] . Resin coating would be common on ships in the classical era.

In October 2005, a group of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted an experiment using 127 one-foot (1 foot = 30 cm) square mirror tiles that focused on a wooden ship layout at a distance of about 30 meters. The flames broke out on a piece of the ship, but only after the sky became cloudless, and the ship remained stationary for about ten minutes. It was concluded that this device is a practical weapon in these conditions.

The group of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology repeated the experiment in the popular science program (TV show) of the American television channel Discovery Channel “ Mythbusters = MythBusters”, using a wooden fishing boat in San Francisco as a target. Some charring again occurred, along with a small amount of flame. In order to catch fire, the wood must reach an auto-ignition temperature of around 300 ° C (570 ° F). ^{[4] [5]}

When MythBusters broadcast the results of an experiment in San Francisco in January 2006, the experiment was categorized as “failed” (or unsuccessful) due to the length of time and ideal weather conditions required for burning. It was also noted that since Syracuse faces eastward to the sea, the Roman fleet would have to attack in the morning for optimal collection of light by mirrors. MythBusters also pointed out that conventional weapons, such as flaming arrows or bolts from a catapult, would be a much easier way to set fire to a ship at short distances.

In December 2010, MythBusters again studied the history of the heat ray (Archimedes Mirror or Death Rays) in a special program called the President's Challenge. Several experiments were conducted, including large-scale tests with 500 students who sent mirrors to the layout. The Roman sailing ship was 400 feet (120 m) from the hotel. In all experiments, the sail failed to reach a temperature of 210 ° C (410 ° F) necessary to give fire, and the verdict was again a “failure”. The show concluded that a more likely mirror effect would be blinding or distracting the crew. ^[6]

• Engineer Garin's Hyperboloid
• Death ray
• Active Drop System