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MIT Museum has a mechanical sculpture by Arthur Ganson that puts 12 
50:1 worm gear/gear in a row. The first worm is turned by a 212 RPM 
motor. The last axle is embedded in a block of concrete. The concrete 
will make a full rotation once every

1/212 * 50^12 minutes, or 2.2 trillion years

Like the rest of the "Arthur Ganson: Gestural Engineering" gallery, 
this piece is installed on a simple pedestal against a flat 
background. Adjacent are two small wall text panels, one with title 
and materials (as befitting its sculptural nature) and one about how 
long it will take to turn the concrete block a full rotation. A few 
pictures are available on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/donjuanna/139558973/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donjuanna/139559034/

This exhibit is a perpetual favorite and conversation starter. It 
gets a number of different audiences, families talking about 
mechanical engineering and math but also people talking very 
philosophically about time and art.

Jon

-- 
Jon Markowitz Bijur | MIT Museum Education Coordinator | 617-253-9607 
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