There are many contenders for \u201cworld\u2019s greatest invention.\u201d The wheel. The printing press. The steam engine.<\/p>\n
According to a new book, however, that title should go to the mechanised sawmill invented by Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore mechanised sawing, constructing a modest merchant vessel required approximately ten sawyers working for three months,\u201d writes Jaime D\u00e1vila in Forgotten. \u201cWith wind-powered sawmills, the same quantity of processed timber could be produced in less than a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thanks to their speedy mechanical saw, which turned logs into planks with almost no human effort, the Dutch could build ships faster than anyone else, which unleashed a century of Dutch maritime, economic and cultural dominance in Europe and the world.<\/p>\n
Corneliszoon\u2019s sawmill, argues D\u00e1vila, was \u201cmankind\u2019s first true industrial machine.\u201d A windmill turned a wheel. One component transformed the rotary motion into up-and-down motion for the cutting blade. Another component transformed the rotary motion into a sideway\u2019s motion feeding the log to the blade. A ratchet system moved the log forward one precise increment per cycle.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach element was modest on its own. Corneliszoon\u2019s genius was to combine them so they acted in a perfectly controlled sequence, cutting on every downward stroke and advancing on every return stroke. It was an astonishingly intelligent use of basic components.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which brings us to today\u2019s puzzle. I\u2019d like you to reinvent one of the basic ideas behind Corneliszoon\u2019s machine.<\/p>\n
Round and up<\/p>\n
Design a machine that turns rotary motion to up-and-down motion. You have these items only: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A \u201cguide\u201d, which is a cylinder or sleeve into which one of the rods will fit perfectly. (Assume you can put things on a stand, so the components don\u2019t fall down.)<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll be back at 5pm UK with the solution.<\/p>\n
UDATE: Solution is up here.<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please suggest (non obvious) candidates for the world\u2019s greatest invention.<\/p>\n