South Pointing Chariot (replica)

Ma Jun (馬鈞, Wade-Giles: Ma Chün; 200 - 265), styled Deheng (徳衡), was a Chinese mechanical engineer and government official during the Three Kingdoms era of China. His most notable invention was that of the South Pointing Chariot, a directional compass vehicle which actually had no magnetic function, but was operated by use of differential gears (which applies equal amount of torque to driving wheels rotating at different speeds).^[1] It is because of this revolutionary device (and other achievements) that Ma Jun is known as one of the most brilliant mechanical engineers and inventors of his day (alongside Zhang Heng of the earlier Eastern Han Dynasty). The device was re-invented by many after Ma Jun, including the astronomer and mathematician Zu Chongzhi (429-500 AD). In the later medieval dynastic periods, Ma Jun's South Pointing Chariot was combined in a single device with the distance-measuring odometer. Image File history File links Zhi_Nan_Ju. ... Image File history File links Zhi_Nan_Ju. ... South Pointing Chariot (replica) Supposedly invented sometime around 2600BC in China by the Yellow Emperor Huang Di, the South Pointing Chariot (Zhi Nan Ju 指南車) is widely regarded as the most complex geared mechanism of the ancient Chinese civilization. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... For other uses, see number 200. ... Events Wei Yuandi abdicates, end of the China. ... A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name, is an extra name that could be used in place of the given name. ... The word mechanical can mean one of several things: A device or principle described as mechanical relates to a mechanism or machine, or the realm of Newtonian mechanics. ... Look up engineer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Three Kingdoms period (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties. ... South Pointing Chariot (replica) Supposedly invented sometime around 2600BC in China by the Yellow Emperor Huang Di, the South Pointing Chariot (Zhi Nan Ju 指南車) is widely regarded as the most complex geared mechanism of the ancient Chinese civilization. ... This article is about the navigational instrument. ... In physics, magnetism is a phenomenon by which materials exert an attractive or repulsive force on other materials. ... In an automobile and other four-wheeled vehicles, a differential is a device, usually consisting of gears, that allows each of the driving wheels to rotate at different speeds, while supplying equal torque to each of them. ... Torque applied via an adjustable end wrench Relationship between force, torque, and momentum vectors in a rotating system In physics, torque (or often called a moment) can informally be thought of as rotational force or angular force which causes a change in rotational motion. ... For other uses, see Zhang Heng (disambiguation). ... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese characters: 漢朝, Simplified Chinese characters: 汉朝, pinyin Hàncháo 202 BC - AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... Zu Chongzhi (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ZÇ” ChōngzhÄ«; Wade-Giles: Tsu Chung-chih, 429–500), courtesy name Wenyuan (文遠), was a prominent Chinese mathematician and astronomer during the Liu Song and Southern Qi Dynasties. ... I am an idiot Theodosius II starts the reform of Roman law. ... Events Possible date for the Battle of Mons Badonicus: Romano-British and Celts defeat an Anglo-Saxon army that may have been led by the bretwalda Aelle of Sussex (approximate date; suggested dates range from 490 to 510) Note: This battle may have influenced the legend of King Arthur. ... A modern non-digital odometer A Smiths speedometer from the 1920s showing odometer and trip meter An odometer is a device used for indicating distance traveled by an automobile or other vehicle. ...

Life

According to his friend and contemporary poet and philosopher Fu Xuan (217-278 AD), Ma Jun was born in Fufeng, located in the Wei River valley between Wugong and Baoji.^[2] In his youth Ma Jun traveled throughout modern day Henan province, and obtained a minor literary degree, or bo shi.^[2] Despite this degree, Ma Jun was relatively poor in his youth, yet found means to gain recognition by employing his natural genius in creating mechanical contraptions and inventions. The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Fu Xuan (pinyin; Fu Hsüan, Wade-Giles; 217-278) was a Chinese poet of the Western Jin Dynasty. ... Events Macrinus becomes Roman Emperor on the death of Caracalla. ... Events Births Deaths Categories: 278 ... The Wei River (渭河, pinyin: Wei He; Wade-Giles: Wei Ho) is a river in central China. ... Wugong (Chinese: pinyin: Wǔgōng) is the term which reffers to the Shaolin Temple (Chinese: pinyin: Shàolínsì) Martial Arts. ... Location of Baoji in Shaanxi Baoji (宝鸡; Pinyin: bǎo jī) is a prefecture-level city in southwest Shaanxi province, China. ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ...

Ma Jun was a somewhat distinguished official serving under the northern state of Wei, becoming a Policy Review Advisor (Ji Shi Zhong).^[1] Ma Jun once oversaw the construction of Chong Hua's palace, under the orders of Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui. Ma Jun was very well known in Wei as a very gifted designer of weapons and certain types of contraptions, and was praised especially by Fu Xuan in an essay of his. Fu Xuan noted that Ma Jun was not the best orator or master of rhetorics, and had trouble conveying his ideas to others with his somewhat introverted personality. Nonetheless, he gained fame for his mechanical genius, and is universally considered one of the greatest mechanical engineers of ancient China. The territories of Cao Wei (in yellow), AD 262 Capital Luoyang Language(s) Chinese Government Monarchy Emperor  - 220 - 226 Cao Pi  - 226 - 239 Cao Rui  - 239 - 254 Cao Fang  - 254 - 260 Cao Mao  - 260 - 265 Cao Huan Historical era Three Kingdoms  - Cao Pi taking over the throne of the Later... Cao Rui, ch. ... Cao Rui, ch. ... Fu Xuan (pinyin; Fu Hsüan, Wade-Giles; 217-278) was a Chinese poet of the Western Jin Dynasty. ... Look up orator in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Introversion may mean: Introversion and extroversion, a psychological term Introversion Software, a games developing company This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

Engineering and technological achievements

An illustration of a differential between the drive shaft and rear wheels of a modern automobile.

One of Ma Jun's early inventions was an improved silk loom, which, according to Fu Xuan, earned Ma Jun considerable recognition for his innovative skill.^[2] In his time, silk looms generally had fifty heddles and fifty treadles, some even up to sixty of each.^[2] Ma Jun crafted a loom that had only twelve treadles, which not only made the process faster and more efficient, but also allowed the weaving of new intricate patterns.^[2] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x712, 85 KB) Summary diagram of a differential between drive shaft and the rear wheels, my own drawing (used digital art program to increase contrast and remove parts not relevant) Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x712, 85 KB) Summary diagram of a differential between drive shaft and the rear wheels, my own drawing (used digital art program to increase contrast and remove parts not relevant) Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link... “Car” and “Cars” redirect here. ... For other uses of this word, see Silk (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Loom (disambiguation). ...

While serving the Wei court, Ma Jun got into a dispute with the Permanent Counsellor Caotang Long and the Cavalry General Qin Lang at court over the concept of the south-pointing carriage, or the South Pointing Chariot. The minister and the general mocked Ma Jun for his belief in historical texts that the South Pointing Chariot had actually been invented in the past (as the legend goes, by the Yellow Emperor), something they viewed as nonsensical, non-historical myth. Ma Jun retorted against them, saying "Empty arguments with words cannot (in any way) compare with a test which will show practical results".^[1] After being instructed to craft such a device, Ma Jun completed his fully-functional design of the South Pointing Chariot in the year 255 AD.^[3] With this mechanical-driven compass-vehicle device, Ma Jun created one of the first mechanical devices in the world to employ any sort of differential gear. Before Ma Jun, there was also the Antikythera mechanism of the Greek-Hellenized Aegean world which employed the use of a differential gear. However, in China the directional South Pointing Chariot was a device re-invented time and time again, throughout several different dynasties. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... South Pointing Chariot (replica) Supposedly invented sometime around 2600BC in China by the Yellow Emperor Huang Di, the South Pointing Chariot (Zhi Nan Ju 指南車) is widely regarded as the most complex geared mechanism of the ancient Chinese civilization. ... Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor or Huang Di (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: huángdì) is a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. ... The Antikythera mechanism (main fragment). ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age civilizations of Greece and the Aegean. ...

For the Emperor Ming of Wei, he once invented an intricate hydraulic-powered, mechanical-operated puppet theatre (much more complex than the mechanical puppet set discovered by Liu Bang, first Emperor of the Han Dynasty, when he observed the state-absorbed items taken from the old treasury of the deceased Qin Shi Huang).^[4] His puppet theatre is similar to that of a Greek model invented by Heron of Alexandria, the difference being that the latter used instead a rotating cylindrical cogwheel with ropes and pulleys to operate his mechanical theatre. Joseph Needham describes Ma Jun's mechanical theatre in a passage taken from the Sanguo Zhi, Records of the Three Kingdoms: Cao Rui, ch. ... A puppet is a representational object, usually but not always depicting a human character, used in play or a presentation. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Emperor Gao (256 BC or 247 BC–June 1, 195 BC), commonly known inside China as Gaozu, personal name Liu Bang, was the first emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty, ruling over China from 202 BC until 195 BC, and one of only two dynasty founders who emerged from... Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (202 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–190 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy History  - Establishment 206 BC  - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC  - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24  - Abdication to Cao Wei 220... The monarch known now as Qin Shi Huang (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Shih-huang) (November / December 260 BCE – September 10, 210 BCE), personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (officially still under the Zhou Dynasty... Heros aeolipile Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria (c. ... Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (December 9, 1900 – March 24, 1995) was a British biochemist and pre-eminent authority on the history of Chinese science. ... The Sānguó Zhì (Chinese 三国志, or 三國誌), variously translated as Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Records of the Three States and Records of the Three Kingdoms, was the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms Period compiled by Chen Shou during the Jin Dynasty (265-420). ...

Possibly inspired by this incredible mechanical theatre of puppets, Qu Zhi of the subsequent Jin Dynasty made similar mechanical sets with wooden dolls. Joseph Needham states that he was famous for his "wooden dolls' house, with images which opened doors and bowed, and for his 'rats' market', which had figures which automatically closed the doors when the rats wanted to leave".^[5] Jin may refer to: Jin Dynasty (265-420) Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) (Jinn) Jin, a state in China during the Spring and Autumn Period Later Jin Dynasty, founded in 1616 by Nurhaci Jin, a ruler of the Xia dynasty The Jin state of late Bronze Age Korea Jin, Chinese American...

Ma Jun was also responsible for the construction of square-pallet chain pumps meant for irrigation. However, Ma Jun was not the first in China to invent such a device. An earlier account was made in the year 80 by philosopher Wang Chong, in his Discourses Weighed in the Balance. The Eastern Han Dynasty court eunuch Zhang Rang once ordered the engineer Bi Lan to construct a series of chain pumps outside the capital city of Luoyang, used for irrigation and means of fresh water source. Ma Jun constructed his square-pallet chain pumps to water newly designated garden space established within Luoyang by Emperor Ming of Wei (Cao Rui).^[1] Chain Pumps This is a kind of water pump where an endless chain has positioned on it a series of circular discs. ... Events By place Roman Empire The Emperor Titus inaugurates the Flavian Amphitheatre with 100 days of games. ... Wang Chung (27 – 97 C.E.) (Traditional Chinese: 王充; Simplified Chinese: 王充; pinyin: Wáng Chōng) was a Chinese philosopher during the Han Dynasty who developed a rational, secular, naturalistic, and mechanistic account of the world and of human beings. ... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese characters: 漢朝, Simplified Chinese characters: 汉朝, pinyin Hàncháo 202 BC - AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... European illustration of a Eunuch (1749) Chief Eunuch of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the Imperial Palace, 1912. ... Zhang Rang (張讓) (d. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

See also

• List of Chinese people
• List of engineers
• List of mechanical engineers
• History of science and technology in China
• Automobile
• Mechanics
• Engineering

It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... For a list of engineers see: List of aerospace engineers List of chemical engineers List of civil engineers List of electrical engineers List of industrial engineers List of materials engineers List of mechanical engineers List of inventors List of architects List of urban planners List of scientists List of heroic... This is a list of mechanical engineers, notable people who were trained in or practiced mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, etc. ... The history of science and technology in China is both long and rich with science and technological contribution. ... “Car” and “Cars” redirect here. ... For other uses, see Mechanic (disambiguation). ... Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ...

Notes

References

• Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Part 2. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd.

External links

• South Pointing Chariot at DR Gears