Day 33, Summer of Fall 505
30 Chimes after the 9th Bell
Zeltiva University
30 Chimes after the 9th Bell
Zeltiva University
The Vantha rubbed his hands, surveying the diagram in front of him. He was in a novice gadgeteer's workshop, a kind of practical classroom that contained basic tools for the beginner students. It was summer break, and the other students tended to pursue their interests or return home to sleep off the academic strain. Not he, however, for he knew the university was crammed full of knowledge, and he could almost salivate at the prospect of gaining more know-how.
In exchange for cleaning up the engineering classrooms, he had earned himself some free-time to tinker with the things in there. He was under strict instruction not to use any form of magic whatsoever, and to restrict himself to the basic six machines. As the gadgeteering professor did not wish to clock over-time teaching him anything, he had to learn the ropes himself from introduction books borrowed from the library. By confining him to the six machines only, the professor hoped to prevent any errant explosions that might occur as a result of over-enthusiastic experimentation.
Eridanus had not actually started any hands-on yet, still reading the book and trying to fully understand the engineering process. He had not fully understood the applications of the Basic Six yet, but one thing he intuitively grasped about the process is the inherent importance of cause and effect. The entire science was to automate this process, and thus a wondrous machine would be then to take in a desired input, the cause and release the desired output, the effect.
Having been stranded on the mortal coil for a period of time, he gained a thorough understanding of cause and effect by sheer observation, and of course a couple of lessons from the school of hard knocks. What he needed to know now, was what kind of effect each of the six machines would produce when caused by a certain motion. He was pretty sure mathematics had something to do with it, but his limited grasp of theoretically mathematics denied him from solving the problem in his head. This was why practical hands-on is required if he was to ever learn anything.
If he ever hoped to build complex machines, he needed to fully master and grasp the implications of all six machines, for all machines are built from a combination of these six, and intimate knowledge of these building blocks would be required to progress.
Well, here goes nothing.
Eridanus rolled up his sleeves and picked up an object that seemed like a lever. He compared the picture with the illustration in the book to make sure, and prodded it around the table, examining it from every angle.
After a while, he realized that there was a certain point in between that served as a kind of neutral ground. The basic lever was a small plank of wood with a copper weight in the middle below the plank. He flipped the wood curiously, and noted that no matter how he flicked the wood - of course taking care not to spoil anything - one side would always be the opposite of the other side, with the line denoting which side is which being the location of the copper weight.
In exchange for cleaning up the engineering classrooms, he had earned himself some free-time to tinker with the things in there. He was under strict instruction not to use any form of magic whatsoever, and to restrict himself to the basic six machines. As the gadgeteering professor did not wish to clock over-time teaching him anything, he had to learn the ropes himself from introduction books borrowed from the library. By confining him to the six machines only, the professor hoped to prevent any errant explosions that might occur as a result of over-enthusiastic experimentation.
Eridanus had not actually started any hands-on yet, still reading the book and trying to fully understand the engineering process. He had not fully understood the applications of the Basic Six yet, but one thing he intuitively grasped about the process is the inherent importance of cause and effect. The entire science was to automate this process, and thus a wondrous machine would be then to take in a desired input, the cause and release the desired output, the effect.
Having been stranded on the mortal coil for a period of time, he gained a thorough understanding of cause and effect by sheer observation, and of course a couple of lessons from the school of hard knocks. What he needed to know now, was what kind of effect each of the six machines would produce when caused by a certain motion. He was pretty sure mathematics had something to do with it, but his limited grasp of theoretically mathematics denied him from solving the problem in his head. This was why practical hands-on is required if he was to ever learn anything.
If he ever hoped to build complex machines, he needed to fully master and grasp the implications of all six machines, for all machines are built from a combination of these six, and intimate knowledge of these building blocks would be required to progress.
Well, here goes nothing.
Eridanus rolled up his sleeves and picked up an object that seemed like a lever. He compared the picture with the illustration in the book to make sure, and prodded it around the table, examining it from every angle.
After a while, he realized that there was a certain point in between that served as a kind of neutral ground. The basic lever was a small plank of wood with a copper weight in the middle below the plank. He flipped the wood curiously, and noted that no matter how he flicked the wood - of course taking care not to spoil anything - one side would always be the opposite of the other side, with the line denoting which side is which being the location of the copper weight.
