The Pyramids of Giza, built between 2589 and 2504 BC. Credit: Dan Breckwoldt | Shutterstock
Posted on 05/03/2014 6:46:48 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids may have been able to move massive stone blocks across the desert by wetting the sand in front of a contraption built to pull the heavy objects, according to a new study.
Physicists at the University of Amsterdam investigated the forces needed to pull weighty objects on a giant sled over desert sand, and discovered that dampening the sand in front of the primitive device reduces friction on the sled, making it easier to operate. The findings help answer one of the most enduring historical mysteries: how the Egyptians were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of constructing the famous pyramids.
To make their discovery, the researchers picked up on clues from the ancient Egyptians themselves. A wall painting discovered in the ancient tomb of Djehutihotep, which dates back to about 1900 B.C., depicts 172 men hauling an immense statue using ropes attached to a sledge. In the drawing, a person can be seen standing on the front of the sledge, pouring water over the sand, said study lead author Daniel Bonn, a physics professor at the University of Amsterdam...
But, there is a delicate balance, the researchers found... The amount of water necessary depends on the type of sand, he added, but typically the optimal amount falls between 2 percent and 5 percent of the volume of sand.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The Pyramids of Giza, built between 2589 and 2504 BC. Credit: Dan Breckwoldt | Shutterstock
How the pyramids where built in Egypt
Joseph Davidovits’ YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/kadamix
and keyword:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/davidovits/index
Great Pyramid keyword:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/greatpyramid/index
Nancy Pelosi deemed them to be weightless until they were in place.
/johnny
Interesting.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/jeanpierrehoudin/index
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/josephdavidovits/index
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/geopolymerization/index
Sometimes it’s better to be dumb. If they hadn’t figured it out, maybe they wouldn’t wasted all that time building the pyramids.
Let me see if I've got this straight? If the surface is wet, the coefficient of friction is reduced?? Wow, maybe that explains why I go into wild spins every time I drive in the rain! Maybe next time I'll try slowing down in the rain!
Who knew???
Mark
Much ado about a pile of rocks.
Magic Sliders - if you order in the next 10 minutes, we’ll double the offer.
(As seen on TV)
;’)
;’)
I agree, although I don’t think this applies to the pyramids, only to those gi-normous statues (some as heavy as 350 tons).
Not as big of a stonewall as the Obama regime.
I like what Thoreau said about it — the peasants should’ve thrown the pharoah in the Nile.
Seemed like a waste, but then they got up high enough to be able to see their houses from up there. :’) Most of the time spent building the Great Pyramid (and most of the others) was spent getting to the halfway point in height, which is where most of the mass is; the top half involved more climbing, but only a fraction of the mass, and was probably finished in 2 or 3 years. :’)
Yes, but did anyone cook them a nice dinner? :-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
