Gravitational wave experts discover ‘remarkable’ secrets of ancient computer

Special techniques used to study waves in space may have helped researchers solve an ancient mystery.

Statistical modeling methods that were developed to study gravitational waves were used to predict the structure of a broken section of a millennia-old artifact, according to a new paper in Horological magazine.

These techniques allowed researchers to determine how many holes were in one of the broken rings of the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient computer Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient Greek analog device from 100 to 200 BC that is believed to be the world’s first known computer. The device was discovered in 1901 in a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera and is believed to have been used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes.

The mechanism is composed of a complex system of bronze gears and dials housed in a wooden case. It has 30 gears, which is an incredibly sophisticated design for its time.

Its complexity suggests that the ancient Greeks developed an advanced knowledge of gear-based technology, much more advanced than previously thought at the time.

Modern imaging techniques such as X-ray computed tomography were used to study the mechanism’s internal structure and functions. It slowly became apparent that it was used to calculate the positions of the planets, predict eclipses, and track the moons and years.

Thanks to X-ray images in 2020, it was discovered that one of the device’s rings has regularly spaced holes. Since the ring was broken, it was unclear how many rings it originally had, but researchers estimated between 347 and 367.

According to the new paper, the ring probably had 354 holes, corresponding to the lunar cycle. According to their calculations, a ring with 354 holes is a hundred times more likely than one with 360 holes.

“We present a new analysis of the positions of the holes beneath the calendar ring of the Antikythera mechanism,” the researchers wrote in the paper. “We significantly refine their estimate of the number of holes that were present in the entire ring. Our 68 percent confidence estimate for this number, taking all the data into account, is 355.24 [plus or minus about 1.4].

“If the holes adjacent to the fractures are removed from the analysis, our estimate will be 354.08. A 360-hole circle is severely disadvantaged, and one of the 365 holes is not plausible, given the assumptions of our model.”

This mystery was solved using statistical modeling techniques similar to those used to study gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of spacetime created by the motion of massive objects moving outward from a source.

“Late last year, a colleague alerted me to data obtained by YouTuber Chris Budiselic, who was trying to create a replica of the calendar ring and was investigating ways to determine how many holes it contained,” said co-author Graham Woan, a professor at the University of Glasgow School of Physics & Astronomy. in the statement.

“It struck me as an interesting problem, and I thought I could solve it in a different way over the Christmas holidays, so I started using some statistical techniques to answer the question.”

After using this technique, the researchers determined that the number of holes was probably 354 or 355.

“Previous studies suggested that the calendar ring probably followed the lunar calendar, but the dual techniques we used in this work greatly increase the likelihood that this was the case,” co-author Joseph Bayley, also a researcher at the University of Glasgow, said in a statement.

“It gave me a new appreciation for the Antikythera mechanism and the work and care Greek craftsmen put into making it – the precision of the placement of the holes would have required highly precise measuring techniques and an incredibly steady hand to punch them.”

While we will never truly know how many holes the ring actually had, the analysis provides pretty strong evidence that there were 354.

“It’s a neat symmetry that we’ve adapted to the techniques we use to study the universe today to better understand the mechanism that helped people observe the heavens nearly two millennia ago,” Woan said.

“We hope that our findings about the Antikythera Mechanism, while less supernaturally impressive than those made by Indiana Jones, will help deepen our understanding of how this remarkable device was made and used by the Greeks.”

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