Physics (Kurt Schwartz)
Man Machine Essay Rough Draft- by Andres
Testas
The saw was a
simple machine that has evolved into an efficient very important tool. The
handsaw is what started the whole saw family it was shown in ancient hieroglyphs
that lead back to Egypt so the tool is very old. The
hand saw was an awesome tool before electricity but after electricity the
circular saw was made. Its inertia was used to spin the blade allowing it to cut
wood instantly. Some issues with the circular saw that it couldn’t cut long
pieces of wood in half. The momentum of the blade was great so it could easily
cut wood like it was a toothpick. The chainsaw was later invented so that it
could be used as a hand held machine that was easy to use and easy to hold. The
energy hold on the chainsaw is electricity and gasoline so that you could reuse
it as long as you had gas or a power cord. Once the chainsaw was invented they
had to make stronger chains that could cut steel.
The circular saw
was similar to the chainsaw because it used kinetic energy and inertia to spin
the blade. Friction and momentum is used in the saw the momentum is conserved
during the saw spins. The kinematic equation of the saw is vf = vi +a*t because
the velocity increases over time and so does the acceleration. All
the work being done here is the blade spinning rapidly and being pushed into an
object that is being cut.
BENCHMARKS:
Benchmark# 1 Historical Survey of Domination and
Destruction
The saw was obviously used for cutting in ancient times but it
could be used for torture. Sometimes they would cut peoples fingers off to make
them talk and sometimes it was used for good in medical operations for
amputating arms or legs. They were used as far back as in ancient Egypt and
originally were a hand saw and in modern days were converted to a power saw. In
the old west it was used for making log cabins so its historical significance to
the modern day power saw is important.
Benchmark#2 Draft the In Depth
Analysis
I looked at many blueprints, diagrams, schematics, tables of
statistics, and analysis of the different types of saws including hand saws.
The Guillotine which was very popular in the middle Ages for beheading people
and is a type of weight or momentum powered instant hack saw. The evolution of
the saw into modern day is what inspires me to the future outlook of what this
tool/weapon will become.
Roman hand saw circa third century
Ancient Guillotine circa
16th Century
Pioneer hand
saw
Handsaw used for
centuries
Modern day electrical
saw
Benchmark #4 The Weapon-
A futuristic interpretation of the saw design could be a laser
type of saw instead of metal or circular blade currently used that are electric
or gasoline powered. The efficiency and the accuracy could be increased by
having a light to do the cutting instead of a blade. A light would not get dull
so the cuts would be the same all of the time. The speed of the cutting would be
faster with better energy output and dynamics. This laser saw could be a weapon
and or a tool depending on the need. It could be powered by different methods in
the future.
Benchmark #5 The Transformed/Repurposed
Artifact
My interpretation of the transformed or repurposed saw is one
that is lightweight and can easily be carried and used for any purpose. It would
be nuclear powered so it would hold a charge for years and the output could be
controlled so it could cut simple items like wood or metal or even concrete with
a low setting. As a weapon my ND-YAG Laser Saw of Destruction could cut into
bunkers and right through people hiding inside. These are the 3 different types
of laser saws used today to show the evolution
below.
Lasing material
Applications
CO2
Boring
Cutting/Scribing
Engraving
Nd
High-energy pulses
Low repetition speed (1 kHz)
Boring
Nd-YAG
Very high energy pulses
Boring
Engraving
Trimming
The ND-YAG Laser prototype weapon could look like this so it
could carry all of the right
components: