I've seen the great attempt of the Mythbusters to confirm this myth,but i think there's a detail that's possibly the difference between this myth being possible and not.
This is the difference: Archimedes wouldn't have hundreds of soldiers with mirrors pointing directly on the enemy ships but to a single stationary point where another mirror was held.
Because this point was stationary it was quite easier to focus on by the soldiers than on moving ships.
Then the mirror at this point after having all this amount of energy focused on it would be moved by another soldier and would focus this energy toward the ships.
This way,only one person,the one holding the second catoprton (mirror) would have to aim at the ships and would have at all times the solar power focused on it.
It would pretty much be like pointing a laser beam toward wooden ships because the ray would already be pre-concentrated and would just need redirection.
This would make it much easier and definitely possible.
What do you think,is it worth a re-try ?

NO,NO,NO and NO!!!!!!

When are you gonna get it?... ARCHIMEDES DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO MODERN MIRRORS.. THAT IN ITSELF BUSTS THE MYTH TO PIECES..

The only mirrors he had access to were made of polized bronze, and bronze (no matter how much you polish it...even if you buff and polish it from now till the end of days) will NEVER get the same reflective ability as modern mirrors have.

And since a target has to be stationary to get hot enough to catch fire, there's TWO down. There is no bronze mirror or modern mirror till date that can create a beam hot enough to flashignite a boat....

And since most boats today aren't made outta wood, but plastic or metal (most big boats are made outta steel or iron) that raises the threshold even higher.. That's THREE DOWN...

This myth is so busted that it is just ashes and dust on the floor..

Where excactly did i state that Archimedes had access to modern mirrors ? Where did i say modern ships are wooden (and how does that apply to the myth ? were they not in Archimedes' time ? ) ?
And where did i say polished bronze mirrors will ever have the reflective power of today's mirrors ?
You didn't make any actual arguments,other than state the fact that when stationary it's obviously easier to flashignite anything.
The beam could as well be much stronger than the one needed to ignite a stationary wooden boat or used to flashignite the sails and in turn burn the ship.
The biggest problem with the realisation of this myth was the focusing of many people independently on a moving ship.This was solved by what i suggested because they all have to focus on a stationary point..
The rest of what you mentioned go without saying,they are obvious,aren't they ?

And i agree with them with the exception of your certainty of this myth not being true.

quote:

Originally posted by El_Grego:
Where excactly did i state that Archimedes had access to modern mirrors ? Where did i say modern ships are wooden (and how does that apply to the myth ? were they not in Archimedes' time ? ) ?
And where did i say polished bronze mirrors will ever have the reflective power of today's mirrors ?
You didn't make any actual arguments,other than state the fact that when stationary it's obviously easier to flashignite anything.
The beam could as well be much stronger than the one needed to ignite a stationary wooden boat or used to flashignite the sails and in turn burn the ship.
The biggest problem with the realisation of this myth was the focusing of many people independently on a moving ship.This was solved by what i suggested because they all have to focus on a stationary point..
The rest of what you mentioned go without saying,they are obvious,aren't they ?

And i agree with them with the exception of your certainty of this myth not being true.

Even when the target was stationary, the mirrors used wasn't effective enough to flashignite the boat, El_Grego.. Or did you very conviniently forget that little fact?

Even when stationary, they had to keep the focused light on the target for a very long time to make the wood blacken and smoke...

The myth is busted.. Busted and busted.. Why can't you people get this through your heads?

quote:

Originally posted by CitizenGKar:
Even when the target was stationary, the mirrors used wasn't effective enough to flashignite the boat, El_Grego.. Or did you very conviniently forget that little fact?

Even when stationary, they had to keep the focused light on the target for a very long time to make the wood blacken and smoke...

The myth is busted.. Busted and busted.. Why can't you people get this through your heads?

The myth couldn't be any further from busted. The MB used an insufficient number of mirrors, insufficiently polished mirrors, and insufficiently aimed mirrors.

The Archimedes system was not used against moving targets. It was used against ships secured by a device called the "iron hand". He had an aiming system, and he had more mirrors, and far better mirrors than those used by the MythBusters. As the MB actually confirmed on the show, polished bronze reflects IR light far better than any glass mirror.

Several other teams have competently duplicated what Archimedes did. The fact that the MB failed at it means nothing except that the MB failed at it.

Erik: The MB have gotten tired of commentss like yours----which in no way resemble the Byzantine myth tested. They plan to redo it YOUR way and still prove 'busted'. Look forward to it in an upcomeing episode this season.

How you ask 'can it be busted when others have done it'? A single word: "Anachronism", Nothing will be used that did not exist 2,222 years ago. The folks you are refenceing used modern materials which were not available to Archimedes. Wait for it.

I feel bad for the guy aiming the secondary shield...if he stands in the wrong spot...regular or extra crispy?

You have to use concave bronze shields or concave mirrors for this myth to work. A regular mirror or bronze shield does not concentrate a light beam enough to make things burn. This aspect is worth trying.

WOuldn't matter, Krist.. Bronze Shield was way too ineffective, no matter how much you would buff it...

This myth is BUSTED!!!!!!

This myth is busted like an egg under a brick