A brief illustrated history of machines and mechanisms (Q1956789)
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English | A brief illustrated history of machines and mechanisms |
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A brief illustrated history of machines and mechanisms (English)
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23 September 2010
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This history survey with an engineering approach is written by a group of four authors. Mechanical engineering is a broad field in technology and therefore the authors limit their topic to devices that are made of moving parts. So a stone ace is not an object of this presentation as it is an oven requiring mechanism to put the oven into operation. The history of computers and its forerunners such as Napier's bones or Pascal's calculating machine are not included (but computer aided constructions are shortly dealt with in Chapter 8), and moreover mathematical instruments such as planimeters are excluded too. The book is divided into eight chapters which are presented in chronological order. Furthermore, an Introdution (6 pages) gives information on the scope and intentions and a Chronic Table (5 pages) gives a time line (unfortunately in a somewhat too small type). The first chapter deals with the machines of primitive man including also ``machines'' before mankind (i.e., biological designs described by d'Arcy are described). This presentation is followed by a chapter on Chinese inventions and mechanisms and these paragraphs are intended to represent the Mesopotamian and Indo-Ganges River culture as well. These pages are devoted to textile and hydraulic machinery, clocks, automatons, and war machines and cover the roots of the later central themes. The Western counterpart of Chapter 2 shows mechanical engineering in Antiquity (Grecian-Roman culture). The continuation and influence of this period flowed via Byzantine and Islamic culture into the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Chapters 4 \& 5). Finally, European colonial policy boosted an industrial development by creating new technologies based more on scientific reasoning (Industrial Revolution) (Chapters 6 \& 7). As providers of energy, steam engines appear and replace more and more animals (not available in South America in the pre-Columbian period) and water mills. With the Industrial Revolution the history of the machines dealt with ends. The last chapter is entitled ``A vision on Machines'' (Chapter 8). ``The book does not claim to be encyclopedic'' (p. xiv) and this intention is clearly expressed in the title of the book. Furthermore, the presentation is done without too many technical details; however, many illustrations provide a graphical description; above all, all mathematical reasoning is omitted. (It can be found in Rühlemann's Geschichte der technischen Mechanik, 1885. The book does not aim at the extensive range of Morrison-Low's Making Scientific instruments in Industrial Revolution, 2007. Neither of these books is in the references.) The book is more addressed to the achievements by ``homo faber'' than those by ``homo sapiens'' (p. v) because of the engineering approach. A global reference of the period under discussion opens each chapter and gives the context for the detailed descriptions that follows. This part deals with certain types of machines and their analysis. The book contains 142 references (almost all in English, some in Spanish). Unfortunately an index is missing. The authors regard the history of mankind above all as a history of technology (p. xi). However, one might object that culture in general demands also some other things in order to enable and stimulate technology. The book is instructive, well readable and a good introduction into the historical development of machines and mechanisms without supporting mathematical and engineering knowledge.
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machines
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mechanisms
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technology
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