TPO30- Integrated writing

The reading states that the story about Greeks’ use of burning mirrors in defending themselves against Roman’s ships is just a myth and the Greeks of Syracuse never built such a device. The reading gives three reasons of support. However, the professor says that the claims that burning mirror would not be in practical and technological are unconvincing and refutes each of the author’s reasons.

First, the passage claims that the ancient Greeks were not technologically advanced enough to make such device. The mirror would have to have a very precise parabolic curvature and a large sheet of Copper. The professor refutes this point by explaining that an experiment showed that dozen of a small sheet of copper could be arranged into a parabolic shape and form a large burning mirror.

Second, the reading states that the burning mirror would have a long time to set the ship on fire, it took ten minutes to set a wooden and unmoving object on fire. In contrast, the reading states that the Roman boats are not made just of wood. The boats made of other material to seal the spaces between the wooden boards called pitch. The pitch-catch the fire very quickly and once the pitch is burning, the fire would spread to wood even the ship is moving.

Third, the passage claims that the burning mirror does not look like an advancement than flaming arrows, which already existed in Greek civilization. The professor counters this point by explaining that the burning mirror is more effective than flaming arrows. The Roman could not see the mirror itself, but suddenly and surprisingly a fire starts at some an observed place on the ship.