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Thu 27 Aug, 2015 06:01 am
Context:
Frederick also expressed disappointment with Euler's practical engineering abilities:
I wanted to have a water jet in my garden: Euler calculated the force of the wheels necessary to raise the water to a reservoir, from where it should fall back through channels, finally spurting out in Sanssouci. My mill was carried out geometrically and could not raise a mouthful of water closer than fifty paces to the reservoir. Vanity of vanities! Vanity of geometry![19]
@oristarA,
Quote:"could not raise a mouthful of water"? Is it a hyperbole?
No, it's a rather awkward translation, presumably from German into English.
It will be factual: the pump could raise water to a point closer than fifty paces (50 steps...say 40 metres) to the new reservoir (intended to supply the garden fountain with water under pressure.)
@McTag,
McTag wrote:
Quote:"could not raise a mouthful of water"? Is it a hyperbole?
No, it's a rather awkward translation, presumably from German into English.
It will be factual: the pump could raise water to a point closer than fifty paces (50 steps...say 40 metres) to the new reservoir (intended to supply the garden fountain with water under pressure.)
Still, I don't think Euler could have been so poor in engineering: first we use a mill to raise water, then we can channel it to the reservoir. He's considered the greatest mathematician in history by some people, after all.
Yeah, you can take it as hyperbole. He's saying that his mill couldn't raise water sufficiently. If it couldn't raise a mouthful of water closer than fifty paces to a reservoir then I'd say it couldn't raise water at all.
@InfraBlue,
No a mouthful, not a drop, no water was brought closer that fifty paces.
It's no exaggeration (= hyperbole). I leave others to guess the reasons behind the problem. Pump efficiency? Leaky pipes? Probably not Euler's calculations, as noted.
Ok, that is what he's getting at, no water raised at all.
It's a nice figure of speech.
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