
Ancient Moon ‘computer’ revisited
Writing in Nature, the team says that the mechanism was “technically more complex than any known device for at least a millennium afterwards”.
…
the Moon sometimes moves slightly faster in the sky than at others because of the satellite’s elliptic orbit. To overcome this, the designer of the calculator used a “pin-and-slot” mechanism to connect two gear-wheels that introduced the necessary variations.
“When you see it your jaw just drops and you think: ‘bloody hell, that’s clever’. It’s a brilliant technical design,” said Professor Mike Edmunds.
Larger image via Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Related: An Ancient Computer Surprises Scientists – High tech helps solve mystery of ancient calculator

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