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Machine with Concrete - Arthur Ganson

Arthur Ganson
Demos
YouTube
2 HN users recommended this demo2 months2015–2025 score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

Shared whenever gear reductions, exponential scaling or playful kinetic art come up.

Arthur Ganson's kinetic sculpture chains twelve 1:50 worm gear reductions so the final gear, embedded in concrete, would take over two trillion years to turn once.

“I quite like how a lot of his work seems to have a punchline to it.” (HN, 2025)

2 recommendations · 4 citations · Demos

6 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@Doxin Jul 2025 Recommends
on HN thread Different Clocks
I think the artist put it as "and then the last gear turns so slowly it doesn't really matter, so I cast it in concrete." Assuming we're talking about Arthur Gansons "Machine with concrete"[0] of course. I quite like how a lot of his work seems to have a punchline to it. [0] [this video]
Playful kinetic sculpture with a punchline.

Citations, criticism and jokes

@dominicgs Jul 2015 Cites it
on HN thread Fist-sized 11M-to-1 gearbox
There is one by Arthur Ganson in the MIT museum[1]. It's part of a great exhibit of fun/quirky machines and there's an interesting video about it on youtube[2]. [1] [this video] [2] [link]
Ganson's gear reduction sculpture at MIT museum.
@erre Sep 2015 Cites it
on HN thread The 1,000-Year GIF
This reminds me of "Machine with Concrete", by Arthur Ganson: [this video] From the video description: Each worm/worm gear pair reduces the speed of the motor by 1/50th. Since there are 12 pairs of gears, the final speed reduction is calculated by (1/50)12. The implications are quite large. With the motor turning around 200 revolutions per minute, it will take well over two trillion years before the final gear makes but one turn. Given the truth of this situation, it is possible to do anything at all with the final gear, even embed it in concrete.
Twelve worm gear pairs ending in concrete.
@rzzzt Feb 2019 Cites it
on HN thread A 500-Year-Long Science Experiment
Arthur Ganson's "Machine with Concrete" is an installation that has 1:50 gears put in sequence, to the power of 12; the last section is embedded in concrete: [this video] There's also the pitch drop experiment, which IMO rivals watching grass grow: [link]
Chain of 1:50 gears with the last embedded in concrete.

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