Physics 24, Section 1
Siege Engines: High Tech for an Agrarian World (1 unit, P/NP)
Professor Bob Jacobsen
Thursday 11:00-12:00, 397 LeConte Hall, CCN: 69434

Food for Thought dining arrangements will be discussed in class.

The ballista, trebuchet and catapult were the high-tech wonder gadgets of the medieval age: If you had one, you could start a conversation just about anywhere. In this seminar, we'll study the physics, history, physics, technology, and physics of these devices. We'll examine how they were built, how they worked, and how they were used. This is the first time this seminar is being offered. We intend to build several model engines and measure their performance, but it is not yet clear how far that will go. There will be some reading required; involvement in building is optional. No physics, engineering, technical, or mathematical background is required. Curiosity and willingness to get involved are required; this is not a seminar for leaning back and listening to what's happening in the front of the room. This seminar is part of the Food for Thought Seminar Series.

Related website: https://bspace.berkeley.edu/

Bob Jacobsen is an experimental high-energy physicist and ex-computer engineer. His previous project involved hundreds of physicists and thousands of Linux computers at sites around the world; his next one definitely won't.