Wind back to 2300 BC

[///]

A star is a gravitationally bound ball of plasma in a zero gravity field, and because gravity is homogenous and isotropic, it forms a perfect sphere to an astonishing accuracy.

That is contradictory, anything that has an 'accuracy' is not perfect.
Accuracy is a measure of deviation from perfection.
Stars (based on measurements of our own) have equatorial bulges. See pic below for the Sun.

A couple of interesting articles:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/oblate_sun.html
http://phys.org/news/2012-08-sun-perfectly-baffles-scientists.html

Note the use of words like 'almost' and 'nearly'

 

[ausdier]

;d;d;d;d;d

 

[OrangeAlpine]

I read somewhere that the early machine tools were made of stone. Sounds reasonable, plenty of strength, mass and the precision of hand made stone objects can be very high. Also, they would be very durable.

Bill

 

[goldstar31]

I read somewhere that the early machine tools were made of stone. Sounds reasonable, plenty of strength, mass and the precision of hand made stone objects can be very high. Also, they would be very durable.

Bill

Why not settle for the Flintstones? If you want to push the matter further you will find that monkeys use stones and song thrushes have-anvils to break snail shells.

All pretty basic stuff. if you really want explore- read up about Otzi the guy who was found when the snows melted a bit on the Oztal Glacier. He had a stone arrow head in his spine.

 

[enfieldbullet]

machine tools , characterizing tools that make other tools, according to evidence were first made of wood, then incorporated metal strips on critical locations, and then became all metal.

stone seems like a good candidate(granite can be better than cast iron in some applications) but don't forget that working it would be nearly impossible (time taken, and they couldn't really cut granite, only lap it or grind it to shape) and not necessary. what they needed back then was wooden objects, such as arrows, spears, ship masts,table legs, etc.

otzi is a very interesting subject, just as primitive techniques in general are.

but machine tools took a little longer to come around, they weren't needed until the population grew and you needed to make more than just one of everything. think ancient civilizations, after the hunter-gatherer period.

 

[Topos]

Perhaps I missed it but the pottery wheel and clay were the
progenitor of the lathe.

Could the potters who made the amphora to transport wine
also after imbibing some of the contents have coined
the toast:

"Here is mud in you eye,\.Rof}"

 

[Tin Falcon]

Another thread resurrected.

just keep in mind the original poster has not signed onto this forum for almost a year. Just FYI something to consider.
tin

 

[goldstar31]

Apologies for coming into this a bit late. I've been in 'Taula and Talyot' Country which to some will be Menorca and others the home of Mayonaise and others 'To Hell with the torpedos, 4 bells!'

The latest up date in this Land of the Roman Stone throwers is uncovering flint tools dating back - the 7th Millennium BC.
The mind simply boggles to what is a tiny little Spain where I pay my rates and taxes to a place in Arabic called 'God with us' and the language is a mixture of English, French, Spanish, Catalan and I presume Greek and Latin.

No- this gear thing is far far older. We- whoever 'we' was knew how to use the planet Venus to 'divide' long before 2300BC.
I'd done this Bronze Age thing when I was a kid. I'd sat with the skeleton of a Bronze Age man and his grave next to a child's the little garden a mile or two from the home of George Stephenson and yards( indeed) from where Charles Algernon Parsons did his research and development into- turbines.

For those who are curious- the work of Prof Alexander Thom is interesting whilst the Book of Kings is curious as it really suggests things - longer ago.