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The gears of the Antikythera Mechanism: an educational pathfinder to the solar system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2011

Xenophon Moussas ,
Georgios Bampasidis ,
Yanis Bitsakis ,
Theodosios Tassios ,
Magdalini Anastasiou ,
Kyriakos Efstathiou ,
Georgios Fasoulopoulos ,
Isidoros Kioleoglou ,
Mike Edmunds  and
Mary Zafeiropoulou
...Show all authors
Xenophon Moussas
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astrophysics, Astronomy & Mechanics, Faculty of Physics, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15783 Zographos, Athens, Greece email: xmoussas@phys.uoa.gr, gbabasid@phys.uoa.gr
Georgios Bampasidis
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astrophysics, Astronomy & Mechanics, Faculty of Physics, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15783 Zographos, Athens, Greece email: xmoussas@phys.uoa.gr, gbabasid@phys.uoa.gr
Yanis Bitsakis
Affiliation:
University of Athens, Athens Science and Education Laboratory, Athens, Greece
Theodosios Tassios
Affiliation:
Association for Ancient Greek Technology Studies, Athens, Greece
Magdalini Anastasiou
Affiliation:
Faculty of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Kyriakos Efstathiou
Affiliation:
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgios Fasoulopoulos
Affiliation:
Secondary Education, Athens, Greece
Isidoros Kioleoglou
Affiliation:
Ionic Center, 11 Lysiou Street, 10556, Athens, Greece
Mike Edmunds
Affiliation:
Cardiff University, School of Physics & Astronomy, Queens Buildings, Cardiff CF243AA, UK
Mary Zafeiropoulou
Affiliation:
National Archaeological Museum of Athens, 1 Tositsa Str., 10682 Athens, Greece
Manos Roumeliotis
Affiliation:
Department of Technology Management, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece
Tom Malzbender
Affiliation:
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, California, USA
Andrew Ramsey
Affiliation:
X-Tek Systems, Metris, UK
Dionysios Kriaris
Affiliation:
Lysiou 2, GR 11146 Galatsi, Athens, Greece
Evangelos Spandagos
Affiliation:
Aethra Publishing Company, Messolongiou 1, Athens, Greece
Nikos Giannopoulos
Affiliation:
Digital Artists, Athens, Grece
Amalia Porligi
Affiliation:
Digital Artists, Athens, Grece
Eleni Daniels
Affiliation:
DanielsMedia Co., Public Relations, NY, USA
Michael T. Wright
Affiliation:
Centre for the History of Science, Technology & Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
Reem Sabry
Affiliation:
Planetarium Science Center, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexploratorium, Alexandria, Egypt
Hoda El-Mikaty
Affiliation:
Planetarium Science Center, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexploratorium, Alexandria, Egypt
Göran Henriksson
Affiliation:
Division of Astronomy and Space Physics, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
Ing-Marie Munktell
Affiliation:
Gustavianum Museum, Uppsala University, Akademigatan 3, 75310 Uppsala, Sweden
Flora Vafea
Affiliation:
Abet Greek School in Cairo, Egypt
Stratos Koufos
Affiliation:
Eudemus Observatory, Rhodes, Greece
Dimitrios Prassopoulos
Affiliation:
Amateur Astronomers Club of Thrace, 5 J. Betsou, 68100 Alexandropolis, Greece
Vasili Zafiropoulos
Affiliation:
Faculty of Physics, University of Patras, Greece
Andreas Karakonstantis
Affiliation:
EKFE, Chios, Greece
Katerina Aggeioplasti
Affiliation:
Amateur Astronomers Club of Thrace, 5 J. Betsou, 68100 Alexandropolis, Greece
Eleni Delidou
Affiliation:
Amateur Astronomers Club of Thrace, 5 J. Betsou, 68100 Alexandropolis, Greece
Costas Papoulias
Affiliation:
Solonos 112, Athens, Greece
George Papoulias
Affiliation:
Solonos 112, Athens, Greece
Paul Haley
Affiliation:
The SHARE Initiative, UK
Jamal Mimouni
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Constantine, Algeria
David Valls-Gabaud
Affiliation:
Observatoire de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
Matt Biggs
Affiliation:
The SHARE Initiative, UK
Drahomir Chochol
Affiliation:
Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranska Lomnica, Slovakia
Jacek Szubiakowski
Affiliation:
Olsztyn Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory, Al. Piłsudskiego 38, 10-450 Olsztyn, Poland
Ela Plucinska
Affiliation:
Olsztyn Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory, Al. Piłsudskiego 38, 10-450 Olsztyn, Poland
Anna Jacyno
Affiliation:
Olsztyn Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory, Al. Piłsudskiego 38, 10-450 Olsztyn, Poland
Alexandros Kakouris
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astrophysics, Astronomy & Mechanics, Faculty of Physics, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15783 Zographos, Athens, Greece email: xmoussas@phys.uoa.gr, gbabasid@phys.uoa.gr
Pavel Pal'uš
Affiliation:
Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia
Danica Jančušková
Affiliation:
Centre for Astronomy of N. Copernicus University, Gagarina 11, 87-100 Toruń, Poland Prešov Planetarium, Slovakia
Mária Feriančiková
Affiliation:
Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia
Krystof Czart
Affiliation:
Olsztyn Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory, Al. Piłsudskiego 38, 10-450 Olsztyn, Poland
Nikos Xenakis
Affiliation:
Kasos, Greece
Magda Evgenia Gkini
Affiliation:
Observatoire de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
Eva Perpyraki
Affiliation:
Rethymon, Crete, Greece
Leonidas Tziannoudakis
Affiliation:
EKFE, Rethymon, Crete, Greece
Panagiotis Antoniou
Affiliation:
Amateur Astronomers Club of Thrace, 5 J. Betsou, 68100 Alexandropolis, Greece Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
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Abstract

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The Antikythera Mechanism is the most sophisticated extant ancient astronomical instrument and analogue computer known and was assembled sometime between 150 and 100 BCE, almost a century after the death of Archimedes. The mechanism has a great educational potential as it appeals to inquiring minds as an astonishing artefact of science and technology. The latest research findings reveal significant cultural and social functions in its operations. This astonishing astronomical instrument has a clear interdisciplinary valueand it has that it may be used as an educational medium, to engage the general public, and especially to attract students both to/from exact sciences and to/from the humanities. The astronomical and technical knowledge embedded in the mechanism can also be used to introduce some aspects of modern science through the unknown technological achievements of Hellenic antiquity.

Keywords

Antikythera Mechanismastronomical instrumentseducationmodellingoutreach
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S260: The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture , January 2009 , E1
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

References

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