I can draw all kinds of questions about the physical set-up of the experiment (were they using pitch-sealed wooden boats, were they aiming for rigging or other more flammable areas, etc), but really what the whole thing boils down to is this: can you focus the reflection from a mirror accurately enough on a boat which is not only bobbing up and down on the ocean, but also presumably taking evasive action? And since such mirrors have a fixed distance to the focal point, what do you do when the ship is either too near or too far?
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branchandroot
Sweet!
Date: 2005-10-25 05:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-25 05:47 pm (UTC)I can draw all kinds of questions about the physical set-up of the experiment (were they using pitch-sealed wooden boats, were they aiming for rigging or other more flammable areas, etc), but really what the whole thing boils down to is this: can you focus the reflection from a mirror accurately enough on a boat which is not only bobbing up and down on the ocean, but also presumably taking evasive action? And since such mirrors have a fixed distance to the focal point, what do you do when the ship is either too near or too far?
no subject
Date: 2005-10-25 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-25 10:36 pm (UTC)Personally, all I get from this is that MIT students aren't anywhere near as smart as Archimedes.
Doesn't say much for MIT's graduating class, I suppose :)