I took my grandkids to the Moxi Museum the other day, and we were all excited to get up to the roof to see the Whitewater exhibit. Kids and others can play and experiment with fluid dynamics in a spectacular way there- it’s a fully interactive water feature that includes a giant Archimedes screw. This method of moving water was invented in the 3rd century BC by Archimedes, a mathematician and inventor from ancient Greece. Archimedes lived in Syracuse, Sicily (now Italy). The Archimedes screw is a screw-shaped machine or hydraulic screw that raises water from a lower to a higher level. An Archimedes screw can range in size from a quarter of an inch to twelve feet in diameter.
The Archimedes Screw has been used to lift water to higher levels since ancient times, and its use continues to this day. It was originally used for irrigation in the Nile delta and for pumping water out of ships as well as from flooded mines. The screw can raise water with much less effort than lifting buckets.
Essentially, it is a large screw, open at both ends and encased lengthwise in a watertight covering. When one end of the screw is placed in water and the screw is elevated at an angle and then turned, water trapped in the air pockets between the threads rises from the open lower end, up the length of the screw, and is released through the open upper end.
At Whitewater, turning the screw is a source of pleasure for the children and others experimenting with the water dynamics. The first time I saw the exhibit, I got excited realizing I was seeing an Archimedes Screw in action. In the modern world, Archimedes screw pumps are widely used in wastewater treatment plants and for dewatering low-lying regions. They are also used to lift water in amusement parks. However, they are not obviously visible to the general public.
Today, there are also other uses for the Archimedes screw as well. Things like grain, sand, and sawdust flow in a similar way to water, and so the Archimedes screw can be used to move them as well. Archimedes screws appear in many unexpected places. Power drills, snow blowers, augers, crop harvesters, and many other machines operate using the principle of movement of these devices.
If you get a chance to visit the Moxi, be sure to check out the Whitewater exhibit on the rooftop.