Pondering the world

the Archimedes Palimpsest: the great (digital) unveiling

It is done!  On October 29, 2008, the Archimedes Palimpsest was published online in digital format.  I know most of us won't just rush right to the digital document to begin our scholarly review of it, but it's quite worth the time at least to read about what it is and what was required to do this monumental work.

I wrote a few posts about the Archimedes Palimpsest, so you can get an idea of it from a layman's perspective.  Well, okay, from a completely non-academic, non-scientific perspective.  From my perspective.  What am I learning from this?  How does it relate to my life?  What can I take away, learn or apply?

First I wrote about the Archimedes Palimpsest—what is it?  Not having been a science major, my knowledge of Archimedes was only the passing mention of the name.  Let's not forget that Archimedes was the name of the smart owl in the Disney film who taught the future King Arthur about science. 

There were a lot of scientists and cutting-edge technology used in the project.  It's a far cry from the level of work I do on a daily basis.  I examined that in Part II:  it takes a village….

The Archimedes Codex is a book about how these scientists came into possession of the codex, how the project began to develop, and how the funding was acquired.  I'm sure there will be another book published about the completion of the project, results, scientific research, and where they will go from here.  Have you ever asked that intelligentsia question, "what reading material is on your nightstand?"  I think they do that on NPR now and then.   The book was on my nightstand for quite some time, and my take on it is in the Archimedes Codex:  the final chapter.

The Stomachion is a diagram, an incredibly complex mathematical game, if you will, by Archimedes.  I looked at it and saw a quilt block.  How many different ways can you put together those 17 pieces to make a rectangle?  Hint:  it's extremely difficult to calculate the number of solutions, which is why Archimedes found it so intriguing. 

And while the scientists, technologists and researchers on this amazing project have attained their goal of making it available to the world in digital format, I'm sure it's but a major milestone of much more to come.

Stomachion: an Archimedes quilt block

Maybe it's because my mother has been an avid quilter for many years.  Maybe it's because I've always enjoyed puzzles of various sorts.  Maybe it's because I'm always working on a "project" and figuring out how things fit together.

Because when I first saw the Stomachion puzzle in The Archimedes Codex, I saw a big quilt block. 

I haven't gotten into quilting as much as Mom, but I have made a few baby quilts and other pieces.  And was I satisfied with sticking with a simple pattern and just doing that one?  No.... I had to create my own Celtic chain or some such design.  If you want something done quickly and simply, don't enlist my help.  I am likely to say, "Wait.  What happens if I do this?"  And I'm off on a tangent.

So what pattern do I see in the Stomachion?   How would I piece this square together?  Because it's not just the pieces themselves:  you must account for the seam allowances between the pieces, the points where they meet, and how the various pieces may be joined by simple straight seams.  Creating this puzzle using paper or wooden blocks is one thing; joining fabric is a whole different ball game.

Here's how I see it:  it's basically a series of triangles which could then be sewn together in sets.  There are a few odd pieces, and the trick would be making sure to sew the pieces together without ever having to turn--straight seams only.  Except:  see that little triangle in the middle of the right side?  it's the most difficult part of all:  five angles come together at one point.  Egad!  A seaming nightmare!  But if you then take that whole upper triangular half of the square and divide that in half on the diagonal line from center top to lower right corner, now you're looking at something more reasonable.

And that sort of analysis, my friends, is what keeps the quilters of this world very challenged and happy.  It's all about using the brain cells and figuring it out.

P.S.  If you don't like this particular pattern, you might like to know that these pieces can be rearranged 17,152 different ways to make a square.

The Archimedes Codex: the final chapter

Last night I finished The Archimedes Codex, which I've discussed in previous posts.  I've been diligently reading a little every night since buying the book in February.  Since I read at the end of the day, sometimes I read, and re-read and re-read the same paragraphs...

It's a fascinating narrative about the Archimedes palimpsest, the parchment containing parts of the methods of Archimedes which had been re-used for a medieval prayer book, and subsequent efforts to recover the text.  The challenge for me was slogging through the mathematical explanations by Reviel Netz regarding some of Archimedes' methods such as On Floating Bodies or Sphere and Cylinder or the Stomachion puzzle.  My degree was definitely not in math.  And I'm sure he kept it "light" for us non-math type people, but there still has to be some level of detail just to convey its historical significance and Archimedes' impact on modern science and mathematics (everything, basically).  Just about the time I thought I'd never be able to finish the book, Reviel Netz ended the chapter and Will Noel picked up with more of the narrative. 

Will tied it together well in the final chapter with the challenges of imaging the palimpsest not only to recover the text on Archimedes' methods but also not to destroy the 13th century prayer book that was written over it, which has theological and historical significance in its own right.  The conclusion pointed out that the scientific imaging methods, calculations and technologies necessary to recover the Archimedes text was based on the mathematic methods of Archimedes himself.

While the book is a fascinating read from historical, mathematical and technological perspectives, it may not be a choice by the faint-hearted.  Even down to the very last few pages, I was being introduced to words like entropy, combinatorics and tautology, which are hardly in daily usage in my vocabulary.

On the other hand, we only grow by continuing to learn and expand our horizons.  The human brain is a muscle that needs stretching and exercising as much as structural muscles need physical exercise.  Even more so, I think.  The day I stop wanting to learn is the day they'll put me in a pine box.

Part II: It takes a village...

... to run a project.

The other day I was thinking about the vast difference in occupations between innkeeping and being a scientist on the Archimedes Palimpsest project.  The stretch between the two boggles the mind.  On a daily basis I deal with the most elemental aspects of life--keeping people fed and sheltered in a clean and comfortable environment.  The scientists are recovering a priceless piece of history and science and preserving it for all mankind.

How can I reconcile the two?  There are those who put themselves at a higher status within humanity by virtue of their profession or occupation--a doctor is more important than a gas station attendant, for example.  An attorney's job is more highly prized than that of a short-order cook.  And yet...  watch what happens when the doctor has to go to the hospital and is about to run out of gas.  He sure is glad the gas station attendant showed up for work that day.

In our highly evolved and complex society, every job is important.  An occupation is only demeaning if you allow it to be and don't take pride in your work.

It takes a village. 

the Archimedes Palimpsest--what is it?

Our normal routine includes housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, marketing, business networking and meetings, and all that.  But every once in a while we're exposed to something quite extraordinary.

We recently hosted five scientists from the Archimedes Palimpsest project.  I feel a series coming on as I think about this remarkable endeavor.  It is so complex and involved and incredibly interesting that it takes a bit to talk about it, so here goes:

First, you need to know what a "palimpsest" is.  It's not a word that just rolls off the tongue, and it's not in the average person's vocabulary.  Wikipedia has a great definition and some additional applications for the concept, so you really ought to go read it.  Who knows?  Maybe we can start a movement and bring the word back into the modern vernacular.

Quite common in medieval times and earlier, palimpsest was the process of scraping text off a manuscript and reusing the parchment.  Remember that paper was a rare and valuable commodity until relatively recent times.

Each aspect of this project is quite fascinating in its own right.  But the most exciting part is that under this medieval prayer book was a copy of the writings of the father of modern science himself--Archimedes.

Stay tuned for Part II of this occasional series.