William George Armstrong and The Hydraulics System

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Although, hydraulics are known to be used as far back as the Hellenistic age, the Proper named father of hydraulics is William George Armstrong. Hydraulics systems work in a very simple and easy to understand way. Force that is applied at one point is transmitted to another point using an incompressible fluid. When Force acts on a small area it can create a much larger force by acting on a larger area by virtue of hydrostatic pressure, Allowing large amounts of energy to be carried by a small flow of highly pressurized fluid. The benefit of a hydraulic system is that force multiplication/division can easily be added to the system.Often times a hydraulic system uses some type of oil although other fluids can be used. The two laws of physics that apply to hydraulics are Bernoulli's law and Pascal’s Law . Bernoulli's law states that for an inviscid flow, an increase in the speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid's potential energy. Pascal's law or the principle of transmission of fluid-pressure is a principle in fluid mechanics that states that pressure exerted anywhere in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid such that the pressure variations remain the same. In ancient times the Mayans built ancient hydraulic systems in the underground Piedras Bolas aqueduct that routed water from a spring into Palenque. Untamed streams would gobble valuable real estate, so the Maya built limestone conduits to rout water through the city. Hydraulic systems are now used in a variety of ways. A perfect example of this is the brakes on your car. They are a simple basic Hydraulic system. Using only on basic piston to drive the whole system...

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...rs. These technological accomplishments include the construction of tools that are harder than iron; the invention of high strength durable materials of construction including the development of liquid-related cement for producing cast-in-place concrete; the development of the Maya arch as a structural mechanism to create multi-story and clear span structures, made higher concrete paved roads; long-span bridges, and advanced water management ways of doing things that allowed the Maya city-based people to survive in a seasonal desert environment. Archaeologists consider the Maya to be a Stone Age Culture. They continue to focus on this cultural label because the Maya did not use tools of iron or bronze. Their use of specialized jade tools, which are harder than iron, should provide a positive reasons to provide a new name based on their technological accomplishments.

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