Ep 3. Archimedes Death Ray Revisited

In the third episode of season 4 of Mythbusters, titled "Archimedes Death Ray Revisited," the team takes on one of history's most notorious legends: the story of the Archimedes Death Ray. According to legend, the Greek scientist Archimedes designed a weapon that was capable of focusing the sun's rays to create a beam of immense heat and power, capable of destroying enemy ships and fortifications.

In order to test this theory, the Mythbusters team sets about building their own version of the Archimedes Death Ray. They start by constructing a series of mirrors made from highly polished metal, which they mount on a wooden frame. The mirrors are then angled towards a single point, where they are supposed to focus the sun's rays.

In order to test the Death Ray's effectiveness, the team turns to a historic battleground: the siege of Syracuse, which took place during the ancient Greek and Roman wars. They create a scale model of the battlefield, complete with tiny ships, fortifications, and soldiers. Then, on a sunny day, they take their Death Ray to a nearby hillside, where they attempt to focus the sun's rays onto the ships.

As they work, the team learns a lot about the limitations of mirrors as a focusing tool. Even slight imperfections in the surface of the mirror can cause it to scatter the sun's rays, rendering it ineffective. What's more, the intense heat generated by the focused rays can be dangerous, setting fire to nearby grass and wood.

Despite these challenges, the team persists, and eventually manages to create a surprisingly powerful beam of light, capable of setting small objects on fire. But could the Death Ray really have been used to win battles, as the legends suggest?

To find out, the Mythbusters turn to the army for help. They build a much larger version of the Death Ray, using powerful parabolic mirrors that can be adjusted to follow the sun's movements throughout the day. The team then takes their Death Ray to an army training ground, where they test its effectiveness on a range of different targets, from wood and steel to cloth and food.

What they find is both surprising and disappointing. Although the Death Ray is capable of generating intense heat, it is far from an effective weapon. It takes a long time to set up, is vulnerable to even small changes in the weather, and requires a skilled operator to be effective.

Ultimately, the Mythbusters conclude that the story of the Archimedes Death Ray is likely just a myth. While Archimedes was certainly a brilliant scientist, it is unlikely that he could have created a weapon as powerful as the legend suggests. That said, the team's experiments do show that mirrors can be used to focus sunlight into an intense beam, making them a useful tool in certain experiments and applications.

Overall, season 4 episode 3 of Mythbusters is a fascinating exploration of one of history's most enduring legends. With its blend of science, history, and human curiosity, it is sure to appeal to fans of the show and anyone interested in the mysteries of the past.