1. Repetitio :: Mythology
2. Questio :: What is a machine ?
3. Lectio :: Antiquity
   • Antikythera mechanism
   • Heron of Alexandria
   • other traditions
4. Exercitio :: Introduction to Abacus
5. Disputatio :: What is NOT a machine ?

• English word machine comes through Middle French from Latin machina, which in turn derives from the Greek (Doric μαχανά makhana, Ionic μηχανή mekhane "contrivance, device, engine", a derivation from μῆχος mekhos "means, expedient, remedy")
• Greek "mekhane" was potentially derived from Proto-Indo-European root *magh- meaning "to be able, have power." Linguists believe that English words like may, might, magi, magic, make or German words like machen, Macht etc. are derived from the PIE-root *magh.

• Any device that transmits a force or directs its application.
• An efficient and well-organized group of powerful people.
• A person who acts with the mechanical efficiency of a machine.

• an ancient Greek analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes decades in advance
• created sometimes around 2nd-1st century B.C., discovered in 1902
• complex clockwork of at least 30 bronze gears

• greatest experimenter of antiquity
• teacher at Musaeum
• author of works like Pneumatica, Automata, Mechanica, On the dioptra, Belopoeica, Catoptrica, Geodesia, Geoponica etc.
• father of cybernetics

• holy water dispenser
• windwheel organ
• Hero's engine (aeolipile)
• 10-minute long fully mechanical theater piece involving a first "programmable" robot

"When King Solomon stepped upon the throne, a mechanism was set in motion. As soon as he stepped upon the first step, the golden ox and the golden lion each stretched out one foot to support him and help him rise to the next step. On each side, the animals helped the King up until he was comfortably seated upon the throne. No sooner was he seated than a golden eagle brought the great crown and held it just above King Solomon's brow, so that it should not weigh heavily on his head."

We'll discuss the Persian & Arab traditions next week.

• less interested in "crude", hardware-oriented disciplines of robotics and mechanics (an exception: "The story of a mechanical girl")
• more interested in "subtle", software-oriented disciplines of mathematics and logics
  • Shulba Sutras :: texts concerning the Srauta ritual which describe the geometry related to fire-alter construction

• Watch some videos about addition, subtraction and multiplication on an Abacus (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwabVzlobZI)
• You can validate the activity-credit for this course by:
  1. Teaching Your fellow students how to multiply 121 x 121 on an Abacus.
  2. Proposing the highest possible number which answers the question "How many distinct numbers can one unambiguously represent on an abacus with 10 marbles on 10 rows ?" and demonstrating why it is true.