The wheel is probably the most impo

The wheel is probably the most important mechanical invention of all time. Nearly every machine built since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution involves a single, basic principle embodied in one of mankind’s truly significant inventions. It’s hard to imagine any mechanized system that would be possible without the wheel or the idea of a symmetrical component moving in a circular motion on an axis. From tiny watch gears to automobiles, jet engines and computer disk drives, the principle is the same.Photo courtesy www.ohm.com

Based on diagrams on ancient clay tablets, the earliest known use of this essential invention was a potter’s wheel that was used at Ur in Mesopotamia (part of modern day Iraq} as early as 3500 BC. The first use of the wheel for transportation was probably on Mesopotamian chariots in 3200 BC. It is interesting to note that wheels may have had industrial or manufacturing applications before they were used on vehicles.
A wheel with spokes first appeared on Egyptian chariots around 2000 BC, and wheels seem to have developed in Europe by 1400 BC without any influence from the Middle East. Because the idea of the wheel appears so simple, it’s easy to assume that the wheel would have simply "happened" in every culture when it reached a particular level of sophistication. However, this is not the case. The great Inca, Aztec and Maya civilizations reached an extremely high level of development, yet they never used the wheel. In fact, there is no evidence that the use of the wheel existed among native people anywhere in the Western Hemisphere until well after contact with Europeans.
Even in Europe, the wheel evolved little until the beginning of the nineteenth century. However, with the coming of the Industrial Revolution the wheel became the central component of technology, and came to be used in thousands of ways in countless different mechanisms.

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A roda é provavelmente a mais importante invenção mecânica de todos os tempos. Quase todas as máquinas construídas desde o início da Revolução Industrial envolve um princípio único, básico, incorporado em uma das invenções verdadeiramente significativa da humanidade. É difícil imaginar qualquer sistema mecanizado que seria possível sem a roda ou a idéia de um componente simétrica, movendo-se em um movimento circular sobre um eixo. De engrenagens de relógio minúsculo para automóveis, motores a jato e unidades de disco do computador, o princípio é o mesmo. Foto cortesia www.ohm.comCom base em diagramas em tabuletas de argila antigos, o mais antigo uso conhecido desta invenção essencial foi uma roda de oleiro que foi usada no seu na Mesopotâmia (parte do moderno Iraque} tão cedo quanto 3500 A.C.. O primeiro uso da roda para transporte foi provavelmente nas carruagens da Mesopotâmia em 3200 A.C.. É interessante notar que as rodas podem ter tido industrial ou aplicações de fabricação antes que foram utilizados em veículos.A wheel with spokes first appeared on Egyptian chariots around 2000 BC, and wheels seem to have developed in Europe by 1400 BC without any influence from the Middle East. Because the idea of the wheel appears so simple, it’s easy to assume that the wheel would have simply "happened" in every culture when it reached a particular level of sophistication. However, this is not the case. The great Inca, Aztec and Maya civilizations reached an extremely high level of development, yet they never used the wheel. In fact, there is no evidence that the use of the wheel existed among native people anywhere in the Western Hemisphere until well after contact with Europeans.Even in Europe, the wheel evolved little until the beginning of the nineteenth century. However, with the coming of the Industrial Revolution the wheel became the central component of technology, and came to be used in thousands of ways in countless different mechanisms.