Reinvention

[Matt3737]

If you were to travel back in time, without taking anything with you, what time period would it be and what would you be able to reinvent from memory alone (raw materials can be unlimited and/or easily accessible within reason)?

 

[sprinkles]

Does 'memory alone' exclude trial and error, or experimentation?

e.g. if I can't remember exactly how long I need to bake something, but could do some experimenting to figure it out, does it still count, or is it not from memory since I'd in fact forgotten part of it?

 

[Matt3737]

Trial and error and experimentation is acceptable. I'd need some practice myself for my own answer as well.

The idea came to me while I was writing up a response to a discussion me and Radiant Shadow were having about magic and mythology, so my mind was thinking about ancient Greece. I thought to myself if I were in that time period and told someone that one day we'd fly a man to the moon they'd certainly think me mad, and not being a rocket scientist I wouldn't really be able to demonstrate.

I could make a model rocket though; I made one in school many years ago, but as you said I do not recall all the specifics.

My answer would be to reinvent gunpowder. Saltpeter, charcoal, sulfur: 75:15:10 ratio.

 

[Radiantshadow]

I would go to Greece and provide them the schematics for a printing press, as well as the technological information required for its parts. Knowledge is power.

 

[sprinkles]

Given a time where metal technology and magnets exist, and preferably glass blowing, given enough time I'd probably be able to invent with good probability quite a few primitive things including:
Dynamo
Alternator
Battery
Nixie tube
Transistor (one the size of an egg or lemon)
Adding machine (suitcase sized)
Computer (probably house sized)
And who knows what else.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

Steam engine.

Can you imagine an industrialised Roman Empire?


Generator, light bulb... That last one might be difficult, without access to bamboo, vacuum pumps, platinum, etc.

Also, to get engineering going, a lot of Newtonian physics would need to be introduced.

 

[sprinkles]

Steam engine.

Can you imagine an industrialised Roman Empire?


Generator, light bulb... That last one might be difficult, without access to bamboo, vacuum pumps, platinum, etc.

Also, to get engineering going, a lot of Newtonian physics would need to be introduced.

That would be pretty crazy.

And yeah, it was stipulated that raw materials could be easily available.
None the less you could resort to primitive designs. You could invent the vacuum pump.

It's hard to think of since we rely on so much modern machinery, but truly the old ways of making these things are incredibly accessible. For example the hardest part of making a germanium contact transistor is getting the germanium. If you can get a germanium wafer then you don't even need acid or doping or a clean room, or tubes, or anything - it's incredibly easy to make by hand just with files and stuff. Incredibly robust too, if it breaks, you can fix it!

 

[JGirl]

did none of you see the movie, mosquito coast???
it's a bad bad idea to introduce technology to the past!! (or to an undeveloped society)