Post

John Palmeter
@jpzo.bsky.social

I explain hydrostatic pressure to potential customers frequently to show why masonry retaining walls often fail. (Lack of weep holes/hydro pressure) I tell them large pools come with hydro valves. If one drains the pool without opening, one can “float” the pool! The entire thing can pop up a foot….

The Lonely Sand Person
@lonelysandperson.bsky.social

Okay, that's two different things. The diagram in the comic is a simple example of a hydraulic system. She's not pouring, she's pressing down a small plunger which lifts a large weight. The "ruina montium" technique is a different application of hydraulic principles to break rock.

Jack Faller
@jackfaller.xyz

I was pretty sceptical too, until I realised it's just a lever with extra steps. You move one side down a large distance and the other side moves a smaller distance with greater force.

Paton
@paton.bsky.social

Like this. Open the picture and the text should be displayed below it, depending on your device. That text can then be converted to voice, if needed. It can also be used to label things that many might not be interested in, like the correct species, location, date, etc. of a flower in a photo.

Wendy Lindstocking
@lindstocking.bsky.social

You enraged the gods and destabilize a volcano, totally cover a couple cities, but write some good stories to cover and smelt the metal into short swords to terrorize neighbors who focus on agriculture, yadda yadda yadda…

docMark
@docmark.bsky.social

Physical law can't be changed by legislation, can't be banned, is dangerous to ignore. and can only be utilized by acknowledging and learning about it. These simple facts gnaw at every secular and religious dictator.

Lang Thompson
@funhousejournal.bsky.social

When I was a kid and heard about the four color problem I thought I'd disproved it because if you imagine a pie all the "slices" meet at one point. Made a poster and everything. Turns out one point doesn't count. And a couple years later there was an actual proof.

Jabroni Supreme
@gojirra.bsky.social

Kind of reminds me of shit like Ancient Aliens where they try to come up with absolutely absurd explanations for things that ancient people actually did, and people have shown to be perfectly possible in their own backyards lol.

Chris Ferejohn
@cferejohn.bsky.social

I used to think it was funny (I read "Chariots of the Gods" in high school basically on a lark) until it was pointed out that it's basically just racism – "how could these brown people have built these things". Well, still funny after that, but also kind of sad and angry-making.

KEV-ONE77
@kevinone77.bsky.social

I always watch Ancient Alien's when I feel a bit down, it always seems to perk me up, its a tremendous comedy show. Its sad the History channel has basically become Ancient Alien's channel

Talos111
@talos111.bsky.social

There’s two that I love: “so many calculations have elements of pi, it must be aliens!” “What if they used a circle for measurements?” And “The coordinates of the pyramids match the speed of light!” “So wait, do aliens use A: the metric system and B: 360 degrees for spheres?”

RadiantHostility (he/him)
@radianthostility.bsky.social

Ahh, you're in luck! Canals were often dug so that heavy stones could be brought closer to construction sites. I believe the pyramid builders used barges to move heavy stones up and down the Nile, then constructed canals to get them as close to the actual construction site as was feasible.

R. Wm. "Ruedii" 🦊🐧 🥖🔞
@rwruedii.bsky.social

Pascal Law is totally amazing. Also, the Romans did demolish entire mountains with hydraulic force.  However, the number of mountains ideal for such mining techniques were few and far between. (Some were LOADED with gold ore, because gold veins create the perfect network of cracks.)

A Son Insu, DEI
@soninsu.bsky.social

And I thought this was how the old stoneworkers split granite slabs into building blocks... by drilling holes and filling them with water letting the frigid temperatures of Northeast New England shores turn the water to ice that split the rocks along the lines they had laid out.

Ziyyigo-Tipyigo
@ziyyigo-tipyigo.bsky.social

Energy is the thing that's conserved, not force. Insofar as "energy equals force multiplied by distance," you can get infinite force at one end so long as you can move an infinite distance at the other. Same principle applies with gear ratios: infinite torque in exchange for infinite revolutions.

Boatwrite
@boatwrite.bsky.social

I studied Geology at university (but a geologist though!) and I recall being told off a theory that entire mountains could move on planar areas of water only a few molecules thick. Unfortunately I can't remember more detail.

Sean Newell
@sean.thenewells.us

Favorite quote > The consensus favors catastrophic sliding and calculations suggest that the front of the sliding mass may have advanced at a speed of over 100 miles per hour (161 km/h), meaning that the mountain traveled to its present location in approximately 30 minutes.

Boatwrite
@boatwrite.bsky.social

Thanks for clarifying that! Yes, that is the process I was told about. I remember actually seeing a white mineral between two fault faces in Skye, Scotland which apparently resulted from such movement. It looked smeared like butter. My geology knowledge is pretty dated now (30yrs!)