0:00:02 > 0:00:03This is Absolute Genius.
0:00:03 > 0:00:08'So sit down, buckle up and get ready for take off!'
0:00:08 > 0:00:11'Each show, we'll introduce you to a different genius.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:16'An amazing person, who had a genius idea, which shaped the world.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:18'And they will inspire us
0:00:18 > 0:00:22'to come up with our own genius idea at the end of each show.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:23'But will it be any good?'
0:00:23 > 0:00:28'Will it be any good?! It'll be...Absolute Genius!'
0:00:29 > 0:00:33'And on today's show we're going to get wet...'
0:00:33 > 0:00:34'Very wet.'
0:00:35 > 0:00:39'As we explore the murky depths of an absolute genius!'
0:00:39 > 0:00:41You know what this means? This means war.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Three, two, one... Liftoff.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Ah. You join me in the bath where today we go inside
0:01:18 > 0:01:23one of the greatest scientific minds this world has EVER seen.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26He was famous for coming up with a genius idea whilst in the bath.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Not only was he a fantastic mathematician and engineer,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32but his genius machines are still being used today.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36He did all of this over 2,000 years ago.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Why are you in my bath?
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I, I don't know.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Ladies and gentlemen, we give you... Archimedes!
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Why are you in his bath, Dom?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50I don't know...
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Inspired by HIS genius ideas, we're going to be coming up
0:01:53 > 0:01:56with our OWN genius idea later on in the show.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'We bring one of his maddest and baddest inventions to life
0:01:59 > 0:02:01'when we make a deadly heat ray.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:03- Ah!- Oh!- Come on!
0:02:03 > 0:02:05But first, let's find out a little bit more
0:02:05 > 0:02:07about the great man himself.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Archimedes was a Greek guy with a great beard,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17born a ridiculously long time ago, around the year 287 BC.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19That's why he's called an ANCIENT Greek.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Who are you calling ancient?
0:02:22 > 0:02:23Sorry, Archie.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Ooh, numbers and algebra!
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Archimedes was a genius when it came to maths, physics and engineering.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34He was so clever he was hired to solve tricky problems
0:02:34 > 0:02:36by the King of Syracuse.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40He came up with brilliant theories about why objects float.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42AND he built amazing machines
0:02:42 > 0:02:45to help defend the king's city against attack!
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Ow! Stop it!
0:02:47 > 0:02:51'We're on a mission to find a really genius invention of Archimedes'
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'that we can bring to life at the end of the show.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57'He liked nothing better than coming up with those inventions
0:02:57 > 0:03:00'whilst having a good, long soak.'
0:03:01 > 0:03:04To really FEEL the inspiration of this great man Archimedes,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07we've come to one of his favourite places.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09You may know the story of Archimedes being in a bath
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and coming up with the idea that helped him solve a problem
0:03:12 > 0:03:15that had been puzzling him for ages.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17He was so excited about solving this problem
0:03:17 > 0:03:19that he jumped out of the bath - naked -
0:03:19 > 0:03:23ran down the street - nudey - shouting out, "Eureka, Eureka!"
0:03:23 > 0:03:26In Greek that means, "I've got it! I've got it!"
0:03:26 > 0:03:28But what exactly had he got?
0:03:28 > 0:03:29I...I don't know.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33If only Fran, our genius scientist, was here to tell us more.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37'This is Fran. She just loves experimenting...'
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Aah!
0:03:38 > 0:03:42'..to help explain the ideas of our geniuses.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45'She's sure to pop up just when you really need her.'
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- Ah.- What are you two doing in my bath?
0:03:48 > 0:03:50BOTH: We don't know.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54I'm not going to talk to you here! Get dressed and come with me.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57I am dressed.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Archimedes was working on a problem that he'd been set by the king,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05cos the king didn't know if his crown was made of pure gold or not.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09So it was at that moment in the bath that Archimedes solved the problem?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- Yeah.- But why did he get so excited about that?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14His solution didn't just allow him to work out
0:04:14 > 0:04:16whether crowns were made of pure gold or not,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20it allowed him to figure out why things float and why things sink.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23And that is much more useful. Come with me.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- Sweeties!- Sweet shop!
0:04:27 > 0:04:30So, boys, choose anything you want...
0:04:30 > 0:04:33We can have any bag of sweets we want,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36so long as it weighs exactly 100 grams.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- 100 grams of Teeth, please.- Comin'. - DOM MUMBLES
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- Which ones?- Down the end!
0:04:43 > 0:04:45100 grams of Aniseed Balls, please.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Aniseed Balls, Aniseed Balls.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51No, Sports Mix! No, they're the same as Midget Gems.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I want some Mini Marshmallows. Lots of them.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- Can I try a Rainbow Pencil, please? Down the bottom.- OK, I'm on it.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- Mm, that's good. No, I don't like them.- No.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Wait, stop stuffing your faces!
0:05:06 > 0:05:08We're not complaining or anything, Fran,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11but what's all this got to do with Archimedes?
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Archimedes, he didn't spend his time in sweet shops,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16but he spent his time studying materials.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And he knew that different materials could weigh the same,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23but you get different amounts of material for that same weight.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27So what you're saying is, you get some light and fluffy marshmallows,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- you get loads of them for 100 grams? - Yeah.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32- Ah, but only a few Aniseed Balls? - Exactly!
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And Archimedes figured out that the more of a material
0:05:35 > 0:05:38you get for that certain weight, the more likely it is to float.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Mmm. So these, cos there's more of them,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43are more likely to float than these few Aniseed Balls?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Yeah. Exactly. If you don't believe me, let's try it.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Ah, experiment time. Go on, then.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53- Ah!- Sinkage!
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- Sinkage, yes. - Sinkage, you see that? So?
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- Get them in. - There you are... Floating!
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- It's eureka!- Eureka! There your are. But hang on a minute.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Metal sinks just like the Aniseed Balls, doesn't it?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07You don't get much for its weight.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10But how come a metal boat floats? There's loads of metal.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12That's a good question, that.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16But to explain it, we're going to need loads more water than this.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17Oh.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22I think this should just about do it.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23It's a very nice pool,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26but you were supposed to be showing us how metal boats float?
0:06:26 > 0:06:30The thing is, we know that if you've got two objects of the same weight,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32then the bigger one is more likely to float.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35So like with the Aniseed Balls and the marshmallows?
0:06:35 > 0:06:36- Ah...- Mallows.- Yep.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38That's why metal boats float.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41If you had just a lump of metal, like iron,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43all crushed together, then it wouldn't float.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47But if you make that metal bigger, by making it into a boat shape,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49you've got the same weight, but a bigger object...
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And then it's going to float!
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Exactly, and it's the same with people too.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56You two, get your trunks on!
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- And...- Yeah?- ..Jump in!- Right!
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Yeah... See what you mean.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Just like the Aniseed Balls, we don't float in water.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15But you can make a person more likely to float, more buoyant,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18by adding armbands and rubber rings to them,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21cos that makes them bigger without changing their weight much.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24BOTH: Oh, like this!
0:07:24 > 0:07:26So basically, what Archimedes is saying is
0:07:26 > 0:07:29now we're in essence bigger, we're more likely to float?
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- That's exactly what I'm saying. - That's very clever. No, no!
0:07:35 > 0:07:40Now with armbands and rubber rings making us bigger, we float.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42BOTH: Eureka!
0:07:42 > 0:07:43I'll say!
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Archimedes' discoveries about how well different objects float
0:07:47 > 0:07:48was crucial.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Until Archimedes came along more than 2,000 years ago,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53building a ship that would float well
0:07:53 > 0:07:56was always a trial and error operation.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01While we go looking for some more Archimedes brilliance,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04here's a selection of Greek geniuses fond of facial hair.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It's The Genius Top Five.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Five - the astronomer Aristarchus who worked out that the Earth
0:08:12 > 0:08:14revolves around the sun.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Four - Eratosthenes.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17He invented geography
0:08:17 > 0:08:19and drew the very first map of the world.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Come on, dear, let's go.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Three - our mate Stavros. He makes brilliant kebabs.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Oh, yes, his tzatziki is to die for!
0:08:26 > 0:08:28# La la, la la. #
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Two - the mathematician Euclid.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33He's the reason you do geometry at school. Thanks, Euclid!
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Ah-ha!
0:08:35 > 0:08:37And one - Plato.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39A brilliant philosopher who once said...
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Speaking of fools...
0:08:47 > 0:08:50'So far, we've found out that Archimedes had a brilliant idea
0:08:50 > 0:08:51'whilst having a bath
0:08:51 > 0:08:56'and that he worked out why some objects float better than others.'
0:08:56 > 0:08:57'Coming up...
0:08:57 > 0:09:00'We see how he turned his genius to weapons of war.'
0:09:00 > 0:09:03I presume this is the Archimedes' claw?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Turn on the sun.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09- Ah!- Oh!- Come on!- Faster!
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Quack!
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Now, here's another one of Archimedes' genius inventions.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15It's called the Archimedes' screw.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17It looks like a giant corkscrew,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19but it's actually the world's first water pump.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22This is how it works - when you turn the wheel... Turn the wheel!
0:09:22 > 0:09:26When you turn the wheel, it scoops up water here in the bottom...
0:09:26 > 0:09:29it brings it up, up, up, up, all the way to the top
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and then eventually, it deposits it into this trough here.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- Genius, eh?- Yeah, 2,300 years ago before pumps, taps,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38and hoses were invented, farmers that planted their crops
0:09:38 > 0:09:41near a river could now transport the water uphill.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Before then, it was always transferred by hand,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47or by container, or a very, very tired donkey.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- EEY-ORE! - Exactly. The Archimedes' screw -
0:09:50 > 0:09:53a simple yet brilliant invention that's still being used today
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and we are going to see one!
0:09:55 > 0:09:58No! Come on. Are we? Exciting, isn't it?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Hang on, where are we going?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I've got a feeling... You know, Archimedes, Greece.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07It's going to be somewhere like Athens? No? Err... Corfu?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- No.- Where?
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Stockton-on-Tees.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I LOVE Stockton-on-Tees!
0:10:19 > 0:10:23This is Stockton-on-Tees. Home to the Tees River.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27And this genius white water rafting and canoeing centre.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46- Yeah-heh! - Looks good that, doesn't it?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Isn't it mad to think that this is all thanks to Archimedes?
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- Mm. Come on, then, let's have a go! - All right. Look!
0:10:54 > 0:10:56'Just before we get wet, though...'
0:10:57 > 0:11:01'..we're going meet ace canoeist and genius expert Andy Laird.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'He designed this white water centre
0:11:04 > 0:11:07'and took his inspiration from a great Archimedes invention.'
0:11:09 > 0:11:12What's the secret behind this white water rafting course?
0:11:12 > 0:11:16We take the water from the River Tees, divert it down this channel.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18There's a few obstacles in there.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Goes round, makes some rapids, gets down to the bottom pool
0:11:21 > 0:11:23and we lift it back to the top and it goes round again.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- The water goes from down there, uphill, and then ends up here?- Right.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29So this is where Archimedes comes into it?
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- You're right. Let's go and have a look.- Ah!
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Whoa-ho! Look at the size of that!
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Bit bigger than that one in the museum.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Andy, these are absolutely HUGE. What are they all about?
0:11:44 > 0:11:47We've got four massive Archimedean screws here.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50We lift the water from the bottom, right back to the top.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54At the flick of a switch we can have instant white water, 24 hours a day.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55- Brilliant.- How heavy are they?
0:11:55 > 0:11:59These things weigh about 30 tons each, about ten metres long.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- They're seriously big bits of kit. - Yeah.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08In fact, each one of these enormous Archimedes' screws
0:12:08 > 0:12:13is twice as tall as a giraffe and as heavy as six African elephants.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And the water power they generate is about to give us
0:12:18 > 0:12:20a white-knuckle white water ride.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- Here we go! Holdin' on!- Aargh!
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Put it down.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- Down.- Wet!- Oh, it's wet!
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- Wet!- Wet! Right...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- Aah!- Oh!
0:12:37 > 0:12:38Wet!
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Well, that was quite a drop. But look what's coming up...
0:12:50 > 0:12:53THEY SHOUT
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Well, that went, em, swimmingly...
0:13:08 > 0:13:13It's fast. And it was freezing. Best theme-park ride you've ever been on.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Very exhilarating.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- He's a bit cold!- Oh-ho!
0:13:23 > 0:13:26This course hasn't beaten us yet, though...
0:13:31 > 0:13:34This one's for you, Archimedes!
0:13:47 > 0:13:51We've made it! Yes!
0:13:51 > 0:13:56- That was absolutely brilliant! - Thank you, Archimedes!
0:13:58 > 0:14:00You bearded beauty!
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Delighted to be of service.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07So thanks to the Archimedes' screw we had the world's first water pump
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and today we can go white water rafting in Stockton-on-Tees.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16'Yes, Archimedes came up with lots of clever ideas,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20'but there were some ancient Greeks whose inventions were, um,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22'not quite so brilliant.'
0:14:22 > 0:14:25It's The Not So Genius Idea.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Daedalus was a mythical ancient Greek inventor
0:14:29 > 0:14:32who wanted to fly away from the Island of Crete.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36He made wings out of feathers for himself and his son Icarus
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and stuck them on to their arms with wax.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42They took off, but Icarus apparently flew so high
0:14:42 > 0:14:44- that he got too close to the sun. - What a lovely view!
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- The wax melted, he lost his wings... - Aah!- ..And fell into the sea.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49That'll learn me!
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Never underestimate the power of the sun.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58'Coming up... Things are about to get hot and dangerous.'
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- Ah!- Oh!- Come on!
0:15:01 > 0:15:02There she goes.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06'We're trying to find an invention by the great Archimedes
0:15:06 > 0:15:08'that WE can recreate.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11'So why are we driving in the fog along a farm track
0:15:11 > 0:15:14'somewhere in a remote corner of Shropshire?'
0:15:14 > 0:15:18'Well, we're looking for the home of someone who can tell us
0:15:18 > 0:15:20'more about Archimedes' inventions.'
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I think we're lost.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26No, I think we're on the right road.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29No, the milometer says we've gone at least two miles
0:15:29 > 0:15:31since we turned off that main road earlier.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Yeah, which means we must nearly be here. And you know the milometer?
0:15:35 > 0:15:39That's another spin-off of one of Archimedes' great creations.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Yeah, I knew that. But his was actually called the odometer.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- Odometer?- Hmm.- Oh.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45Good knowledge, Dick.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Yes, Archimedes' odometer was a cart with gears that measured
0:15:49 > 0:15:51the distance it travelled.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Why have we stopped?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- I think we've run out of fuel. - Oh, great!
0:15:56 > 0:15:58You're so busy looking at your milometer,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01that we've gone and run out of fuel. Brilliant(!)
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Well, there's only one thing for it, isn't there?
0:16:03 > 0:16:08'We're on our way to the home of genius helper Ivan Williams...
0:16:08 > 0:16:10'If we can find it in this fog!'
0:16:12 > 0:16:15'Ivan is fascinated by the clever engineering ideas
0:16:15 > 0:16:19'that people from the Middle Ages and ancient world came up with.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21'Especially their weapons and war machines.'
0:16:24 > 0:16:28'At the moment he's working on his own design
0:16:28 > 0:16:31'of one of Archimedes' most brilliant inventions.'
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Archimedes was famous for creating several weapons that were
0:16:35 > 0:16:39used to defend the city of Syracuse in Sicily against the Romans.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Yes, the Romans had started to lord it up in the Mediterranean.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45But they hadn't reckoned upon Archimedes.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48So we've come here to find out more about one of his inventions
0:16:48 > 0:16:52that held the Roman Empire back. It's the Archimedes' claw!
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Yes, it was absolutely deadly.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59'Now, our genius helper Ivan has his own theory about
0:16:59 > 0:17:01'just what Archimedes' claw was.'
0:17:01 > 0:17:04So, Ivan, tell us about Archimedes' claw.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Rather than explain, I've made a model if you want to see it.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Under your magic black cloth?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- What do you think's under there? - I'll help you.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13One, two, three.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- Reveal!- He's made a fortress!
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And I presume this is the Archimedes' claw?
0:17:19 > 0:17:21That's it. Big claw. Under the water. Hidden.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- It must have been massive.- To sink a boat it's got to be really big.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Ready?- Hang on, hang on.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- Yes.- Come on. Come on, come on. Ready?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Aah! Hello, sailor!
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Got him!
0:17:35 > 0:17:38What we've got is an enormous weight on the bottom.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41The idea would be when the iron came up, the cords would be pulled tight.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44That would smash through the bottom of the boat and grip it.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46These would slam round the sides
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and then they would have these in the towers -
0:17:49 > 0:17:51big stone yo-yos, if you like.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- Yeah.- And the higher the tower, the better.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56And they would have been sat on a ramp.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59They'd pull a chock away, it would roll forward,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01- the weight would drop down and then go down...- Yep, bang!
0:18:01 > 0:18:04So it sunk in, gripped it, and sunk the ship.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07So, the Roman boats would come along thinking they'll take the castle.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Before they knew it, a spike would pierce the boat from underneath,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13the grabbers would come from either side.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15A boulder would come down, smash the front of the boat
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- and it would get dragged back down underneath?- Yep.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20- They weren't having a good day!- Wow.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- You know what this means? - No, what does this mean?!
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- This means war!- Yeah? War?
0:18:25 > 0:18:27- War!- Yeah?- Hmm.
0:18:27 > 0:18:33On one side - the Greek genius Archimedes, defender of Syracuse.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36On the other - the Romans
0:18:36 > 0:18:38with their mighty fleet!
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Come on, then, you rascally Romans!
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- We'll have you lot!- Grrr!- Yeah, you like feta cheese with olives!
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- Yeah, but you like candles! Yeah! - Here we go.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53You cobbledy road-makers! Come on, then!
0:18:56 > 0:18:58You've been clawed!
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- Ready? It's going to get you now. - DOM GROWLS
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Grrr!
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Just a little further... Got him, Dom!
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Do you think that's how they did it back in those days?
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- I think that's very similar. - Yes, I do too.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22That was amazing, wasn't it?
0:19:22 > 0:19:25There's no doubt Archimedes was a really clever bloke,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28but which one of his inventions can we have a go at making?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Cos I don't think we've found the right one yet.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Look, there's something else here.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35"He set to catch the full rays of the sun at noon."
0:19:35 > 0:19:38He's saying here that he set fire to boats, to Roman boats.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- With a special ray?- Yeah.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- Fire.- Hm.- Boats.- Hm. - Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Stroke of genius!
0:19:45 > 0:19:492,000 years ago, Archimedes made a special heat ray
0:19:49 > 0:19:52to defend his city walls against attack from Roman ships.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57So how could we make our own deadly heat ray?
0:19:57 > 0:19:59To find out more we've again called in the help
0:19:59 > 0:20:02of our friendly scientist Fran.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Fran, Archimedes' heat ray sounds amazing. But what actually was it?
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Well, he created his heat ray by using lots of mirrors
0:20:11 > 0:20:14or one specially-shaped mirror to concentrate
0:20:14 > 0:20:16the sun's heat into one place.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20And that one place became so hot that you could set things on fire.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- Ah.- Sounds like our type of thing, that, Fran.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It does, and I've actually got a specially-shaped mirror for you.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Oh, yeah.- You know where the sun is.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30So we've got the sun, the mirror, what can we set on fire?
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- I don't know. - Ah! Just like Archimedes did.- What?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- Let's set fire to a boat.- Where are you going to find a big red boat?
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- There, there.- Oh.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Right, here's the plan.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Our genius idea is to create
0:20:46 > 0:20:49our own version of Archimedes' heat ray.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53By cleverly positioning mirrors, Archimedes caught the sun's rays
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and concentrated them to make one amazingly-hot heat ray.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Our challenge is to use Fran's special mirrors
0:21:01 > 0:21:03to send the red boat up in flames.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- Right, boat.- Yes.- Reflectors. - Let's set it on fire.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12'We, of course, know exactly what we're doing.'
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Ouch!
0:21:14 > 0:21:16'But don't try this at home.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18'You could give yourself a pretty nasty burn.'
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Look at that, we've got smoke.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28What I want to do, I want to try and get it to go on fire...
0:21:28 > 0:21:31to really prove that this works.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Luckily, it's a sunny day. But even with that it's slow work!
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It's gone behind a cloud.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Remember, Archimedes had the hot Mediterranean sun.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- It's working, but it's not very practical in war, is it?- No, true.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47If you stop the Romans and go, "Excuse me a minute..."
0:21:47 > 0:21:49"Just going to stand here for half an hour!"
0:21:49 > 0:21:52"Get me wok and put it on your boat."
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Are you struggling a bit there, boys?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01No, Fran, we're not struggling! Well, maybe a little bit.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02We got smoke, we got heat,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04but it's just going to take ages to get this on fire.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Your problem is this boat isn't that easy to set on fire.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Another problem is the sun keeps on going behind the clouds.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13What we need is an artificial sun that we can have on all the time.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- You've got one of them? - Funny you should say that.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- She's got everything, ain't she? - Ain't she just.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20Oh! Mmm!
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Right, in you come. Pop your safety specs on...
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- because what we've got here is a heat lamp.- Hey!
0:22:29 > 0:22:32And we're going to use this along with this other mirror
0:22:32 > 0:22:34as our artificial sun.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37It might look like it's facing the wrong way, but what's happening
0:22:37 > 0:22:41is the light and heat from this lamp is being reflected off this mirror
0:22:41 > 0:22:47and then over to that mirror, which will act as Archimedes' heat ray.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Right, I've got it. So that's kind of like your sun.
0:22:50 > 0:22:51And this is the reflector
0:22:51 > 0:22:54which is going to be generating the heat, etc? Yes?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- Yeah.- OK, this is great. That's how it starts off.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00But we can't exactly set fire to a boat in here, can we?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Well, no, that's why I've got two other things to show you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Firstly this stuff - fuse wire - and that we can ignite in here.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09That will take the flame outside where we can light the boat
0:23:09 > 0:23:10a safe distance from the house.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13It's like that stuff on cartoons... HE HISSES
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- Exactly. Like the stuff that's on Mission Impossible.- Got it.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19- And I've also got this stuff. - What, cotton wool?
0:23:19 > 0:23:21No, no, this is flash wool.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- You know, you remember me using this stuff as a magician.- Oh.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- It bursts into flames and disappears. - Like this.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- Go on, ready... Whup! - That's my BBC pass!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32All right, fair enough.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35So, to sum it all up - we've got the flash cotton, the fuse wire,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38our artificial sun to make our very own Archimedes' heat ray,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41which will concentrate the heat to set fire to the boat.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44But we're going to do all this by ourselves?
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Yeah...that doesn't sound like the best idea now you say it out loud.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52Wrong, Franny. Wrong. It sounds genius!
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Careful.- I am being careful.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Be more careful.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- Right, that's on.- Right.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Now this is going to go all the way to the boat.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09'Now, don't copy this at home.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12'We're doing this as a controlled experiment,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15'but setting fire to stuff in your back garden is a no-no.'
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Now for the flash cotton. Don't switch that on yet.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19- Fearne Cotton?- Leave it.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27- Am I going to do it?- Yeah.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31- Are we going to blow up a boat? - We are! In three, two, one.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Go!
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Come on.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45We've got to get exactly the right angle so it hits the sweet spot.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46That's it.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Is it working?
0:24:52 > 0:24:54- Ah!- Oh!- Come on!
0:24:54 > 0:24:55- Right, it's off!- Good boy!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58This has got to go all the way outside now. All the way round.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01We've probably got, what, about three minutes of this?
0:25:01 > 0:25:04And then it's going to get to the boat and BOOM!
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Faster. Come on!
0:25:16 > 0:25:17There she goes.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Slowly and steadily, making its way along the fuse wire
0:25:20 > 0:25:22to the boat down there. What's in the boat?
0:25:22 > 0:25:27I'll tell you what's in the boat. A nice combustible bag of tricks.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36You see, the thing about fuses is they can take a long time to burn.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39HE WHISTLES
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Yeah, a, um... A very long time.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56In fact, we're best fading to black, actually. Let's do that.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Look! The fuse wire is nearly in the boat.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Tense moment.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07'After all that hard work, this is finally it...
0:26:07 > 0:26:09'Or is it?'
0:26:09 > 0:26:13That boat's absolutely fine. Failed experiment.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17No bangs, flashes. Whooshes.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21- F-F-F-Fire!- Hmm?- F-F-F-Fire!
0:26:23 > 0:26:27- It's on fire! Look at that, Archimedes!- Hey!
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Eureka! We've done it!
0:26:31 > 0:26:34FIRECRACKERS POP AND CRACKLE
0:26:35 > 0:26:40Well done, boys! You've got a lovely fire going there!
0:26:52 > 0:26:56I love Archimedes, me. He worked out how things float...
0:26:57 > 0:27:00He invented the screw to make water go uphill
0:27:00 > 0:27:02to save the poor old donkey
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and give us a brilliant white water ride.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Then there was the Archimedes' claw.
0:27:08 > 0:27:09And the heat ray.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Hm, Archimedes... you are an absolute genius.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Dick and Dom, it's been an absolute pleasure.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Now, roll the credits.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Go on. Oh, forget it!
0:27:32 > 0:27:33Hey!
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Aah!
0:27:37 > 0:27:40THEY LAUGH
0:27:40 > 0:27:41BOGIES!
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- Oh!- Whoa!
0:27:47 > 0:27:49It went right through me!
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- Don't wobble it.- I'm not doing anything!- Stand still, then!
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Oi, oi!
0:27:55 > 0:27:57DICK GIGGLES
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd