ARCHIMEDES DEATH RAY

Archimedes of Syracuse was said to have repelled an attach by the Romans using a "burning glass" to focus sunlight on approaching ships causing them to catch fire. I watched the Discovery channel Mythbusters on this particular experiment.

The experiment was done by the MIT Product Engineering Processes people. It is definitely interesting for them to test out what the historical records have said about this method. The did one on land and another targeting the boat in the sea. The conclusion they got was that it will require too much hardwork, people and lots of mirrors to really set the boat in the sea on fire. They were struggling to get the boats on fire. It was therefore seemed highly possible that it will remain as a myth.