Archimedes Screw

​SCIENCE CONCEPT
The Archimedes screw is a form of a positive-displacement pump.  Positive-displacement pumps are defined as something that adds energy to a fluid by applying force to the liquid using a mechanical device.  This pump can be used for the irrigation of corn fields.  Corn is awesome!
     When the screw is placed in the water at an angle, water becomes trapped in the air pockets in between the threads of the screw.  Once it is turned, the trapped air causes the water to rise with it, slowly climbing to the top.
APPLICATION
The Archimedes screw is essentially a large screw used for the transportation of water.  The special thing about the Archimedes screw is the simplicity of the machine.  In early inventions, it was operated by one person turning a handle; once the handle was turned, the screw would rotate, moving the water from the bottom to the top.
     The screw is now used in many modern-day applications from waterparks to chocolate fountains.  Thousands of waterparks use it to transport large quantities of water from the pool to the top of the slide using large motors.  Forms of the Archimedes screw are also used in irrigation and the dewatering of mines.  It greatly impacted the early transportation methods of water, and influenced the modern forms of water pumps and irrigation systems designed today.
​CAREER
A career that involves my topic is hydrostatics and civil engineering.  Hydrostatics is a branch of physics that deals with the characteristics of fluids at rest.  Hydrologists are scientists that study the distribution and movement of water both on and below the Earth's surface.  They make sure our water systems and transportation are of the best quality for every-day life.
     Civil Engineers are trained to solve the design, construction, and maintenance concerns of the built environment.  They work on highways, bridges, railroads, buildings, and water systems.  Civil engineers design the best possible water systems for the modern world today. 
​SCIENTIST
On around 234 BC. the famous Greek mathematician, Archimedes, was ordered by the king to build the largest ship he could.  Although his ship had leaks, Archimedes came up with a solution, the Archimedes screw.  His screw was one of the first hydraulic pumps to ever be invented and proved to be very useful for transporting water.  
     It has been speculated that he used the screw pump to raise water out of the Nile River to use as an irrigation tool. The Archimedes screw, also called the hydrodynamic screw, has been used throughout history from purifying water for cities to waterparks today. 
ESSAY