By James Finn Garner
A lot of excitement was generated by the unveiling of the newest design for the Chicago Spire, and not just because it looks like a giant vanilla soft-serve. The possible erection of Santiago Calatrava’s bright and airy skyscraper brought out the hidden science nerd in everyone, without people even realizing it. Why? If the Chicago Spire is built, it will complete Chicago’s set of humongous-scale models of the Seven Simple Machines.
Think back to grade school. Imagine how excited your science teacher would be to see these gargantuan examples of applied science. Archimedes, eat your heart out.
| The Screw |  |
| The Inclined Plane |  |
| The Wedge |  |
| The Gear |  |
| And to complete the laboratory, Where Leverage and a little Pull(ey) keep the big Wheels in power. |
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Posted on April 27, 2007