Infographysics: physics of the Antikythera mechanism

The Antikythera mechanism is the oldest geared instrument in the world. It was a mechanical computer that used complex combinations of gears to translate astronomical cycles into mechanical motion, enabling the estimate of the occurencies of astronomical events. The remaining 82 fragments were discovered in 1901 and only recently[1] a model has been proposed to reproduce the whole mechanism. Thanks to X-ray tomographic reconstructions and to interpretatoins of the writings found on the back and front peices of the rests of the mechanism, scientists were able to reconstruct ancient astronomical predictoins.