What principles powered Hero’s automated dispenser, contrasting with later vending technology?
Answer
Leverage and gravity
The sophisticated functionality of Hero’s early vending system relied entirely on fundamental, observable physical laws rather than complex, stored energy sources common in later centuries. The mechanism operated using only the principles of leverage and gravity. When the coin depressed the lever, gravity helped ensure the weight activated the valve. After dispensing the water, a counterweight or the structure of the mechanism itself utilized gravity to pull the lever back, closing the valve and stopping the flow. This is contrasted sharply with later 19th-century machines which incorporated elements like springs, clocks, and mechanical counters to manage complex sequences for solid goods.
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