AN INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT GREEK MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AND ITS ENLIGHTENMENT

Mechanical Problems in the Corpus of Aristotle is the earliest known work on mechanics. It consists of one introduction and 35 problems. The introduction explains the significance and role of mechanics. The birth of mechanics is to satisfy people's convenience. Then, taking the circle as the first principle and the lever as the basic model, 35 problems including many machines such as pulleys, wheels, wedges, rudders, pliers, masts, and oars are discussed. The basic logic is to identify the lever in these problems and use the circular motion of the lever to explain the working principles of various machines. Since the Mechanical Problems does not distinguish between violent motion and natural motion, it casts doubt on the true authorship of the Mechanical Problems by Aristotle. In this paper, a brief introduction of Mechanical Problems will be given, and its true author is identified. And then, it will try to explore the mechanical tradition embodied in Mechanical Problems. The social significance of mechanics will be discussed, the basic characteristics of early mechanics will be summarized.