Manned flight was first achieved in the 18th century. The idea of using moving parts of some kind took off at the end of the 19th century. I am not sure why the idea became so popular at that time. But my guess is that there was something compelling about the possibility of using the smaller and lighter engines that were just becoming available at that time. Powered flight became possible because certain advancements in technology became available at that time. I know that one of the advancements that made practical automobiles possible and airplanes theoretically possible was the machining of engine parts. This process could be used so that the parts of the engine block that had to be strong could be left thick (as they came out of the casting mold) but other parts could be thinned down, dramatically increasing the power to weight ratio of the motors.
Although the experimental method, going out there and trying actual experiments, was an important aspect of the invention of the modern airplane, the comparison of 60 years of building simulators to the problem of developing AGI is as insipid as it was fantastic. The fact is that Orville DID use simulation! He created the wind tunnel. And he conducted an experiment to determine what the attack angle of the wing should be on the handlebars of his bicycle! He was simulating what would happen during flight in order to determine how to better design his airplane even though no one had designed a working airplane at that time. What I find most amazing about this second simulation is that he realized that the propeller of his plane should have a curved shape because he found that the attack angle (the angle of the wing as it moved as it moved into the airflow) was most efficient at different angles at different speeds and since the parts of the propeller at different distances from the center were turning at different speeds as it was rotated this implied that the attack angle of the propeller should be different at different distances from the center. This made his airplane design much more efficient. Of course the most significant simulations that the Wrights used were the gliders that they launched down the hills or sand dunes at Kill Devil Hills. Powered flight became possible when enough advances in technology made it possible. The Wright Brothers not only were able to use this technology they also invented some of it, and significantly, they used simulations to make critical design decisions. Your metaphor is nonsense. Jim Bromer On Mon, Jun 25, 2012 at 9:29 PM, Colin Geoffrey Hales < [email protected]> wrote: > At least, if I have anything to do with it....**** > > ** ** > > > http://www.theconversation.edu.au/the-modern-phlogiston-why-thinking-machines-dont-need-computers-7881 > **** > > ** ** > > Cheers**** > > Colin**** > > ** ** > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/10561250-164650b2> | > Modify<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>Your Subscription > <http://www.listbox.com> > ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-c97d2393 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-2484a968 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
