Talk:Archimedes' screw

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The drawing on this page is not correct. It suggests that the screw is completely filled with water. The water is, however, transported in individual packages. Ellywa 04:10, 5 Jan 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Archimedes's vs. Archimedes'

Whether it's Archimedes's screw or Archimedes' screw (or, indeed, Archimedes screw) is something of a contentious matter. Might I suggest a useful compromise could be struck with Archimedean screw? –Hajor 16:16, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC)

True, but historical convention has it pronounced "Archimedes['][s] screw". And so, if we're going to follow that particular convention, as well as the correct punctuation of posession of a name ending in "s", it technically ends with 's. If there's going to be any problems with "Archimedes's", I'll gladly change it to Archimedean just to settle the matter. qartis 19:01, 18 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I'll second Archimedes' Screw: we have a choice, but it is more elegant in this case to use Archimedes'. This is preferred for historical or antiquated names. (Think of Moses, Guy Fawkes' Night...)

Strunk's The Elements of Style gives us two options for forming possessives of historical names, either leave it as Archimedes' Screw or switch it to The Screw of Archimedes. I think Archimedes' Screw is better, since it has historically been called that.

I prefer Archimedes's to Archimedes' (one person named Archimedes, not several named Archimede), but Archimedean screw would avoid the problem altogether. Ergbert 21:26, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Vehicle Propulsion

Should some mention of the Tyco R/C Terrain Twister be made? It's a mass-produced remote control toy featuring screw drives similar to the Snowbird 6 mentioned in the article.

These are also use in industry to seperate water from solids

[edit] Mesopotamian origin

I can't proove thsi but someone should check out if Mesopotamia had origins in this. When Alexander conquered Babylon many years before the birth of Archimedes, his soldiers and the accompanying scientists made descriptions of the hanging gardens and one such account describes using screws to bring up water. If this is true, then clearly, it is not an invention of Archimedes, no more than sewage systems were a new invention in the industrial age.Tourskin 06:02, 16 March 2007 (UTC)