I've decided to share here, some more of the pieces of Johann Bessler's coded information which I've discovered from time to time. For brevity I am reducing my explanations, just pointing out my findings and conclusions. The really detailed information is in my book which is steadily progressing and will be published in due course.
I put this clock up here last year but here's another chance to study it along with a little extra information.
Notice that the lines of perspective are as you would expect,
all centred on the point of rotation. I noted that there appeared to be a single gap in an otherwise fairly symetrical arrangment of lines. I became curious when I noted
that the two weights numbered 8 seemed to be on an alignment which passed through the centre of rotation but for which there was no perspective alignment available
The number eight figures seemed to me to be just on a line where you might expect an eight o'clock line to be. Then I realised that when this line was added there were just twelve lines and made the logical conclusion that they must represent a clock.
Obviously I questioned the point of this inclusion and managed to relate it to another piece information. There appear to be a surplus of numbering in all of Bessler's drawings and this led me to the conclusion that the numbers might be designed to add up to a significant total. This, as it turned out was correct. I had already investigated the atbash route, converting numbers to letters, hoping to find a hidden text message but there was none. But the numbers in the above drawing total 660 and 660 divided by twelve (from the clock) comes to 55. What is the relevance of the number 55?
Chapter 55 of his Apologia Poetica contains the mysterious Declaration of Faith, which also includes 141 Bible references which you can read more about in my web site http://www.orffyreus.net/
There I have shown the existence of a long and detailed code, but so far no one has to my knowledge deciphered it yet. I think that the number 55 had a dual purpose, firstly it related to his machine, and secondly it pointed to the largest piece encoded text. The other hints at this number are numerous and I'll point out some of them in the next few weeks, but if you want to know Bessler's secret then you need to decipher the part of Chapter 55 I have described in the above web site.
PS As promised in comments, I include picture of the designs at the foot of page 128 on Apologia Poetica. Do the represent Fibonacci spirals?
And below is a rough copy of the preface to MT, I assume you meany this and not the actual preface?
PS As promised in comments, I include picture of the designs at the foot of page 128 on Apologia Poetica. Do the represent Fibonacci spirals?
JC
John, would the 141 Bible references (and 220 lines) be more relevant to plots on graph paper, and be an actual diagram, as you must be very limited to be able to describe the wheel with the 141 / 220 letter count?? Thanks - A.N.Other
ReplyDeleteI don’t know anon. I simply published what I could see. The only thing I’m sure about is that there is a hidden message within the 220 lines, but how to extract it is a real puzzle. I agree that there doesn’t seem to be enough letters to convey useful information and perhaps some other method such as you suggested could hold the key.
DeleteJCc
I really don't think 55 is very significant; but it is the 10th Fibonacci number. May be he used Fibonacci numbers in his coding. May be you can search for other Fibonacci numbers up to 55 (0, 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36, 45, 55)
ReplyDeleteBut, I think it was just a lucky number for him.
yellow
God, I used the wrong sequence. That was the triangular number sequence. I am sorry :)
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I had considered the Fibonacci series and even though the tenth one is 55, I ‘m not convinced that it was his intention to point to that. There are literally, and I do mean literally, dozens and dozens of pointers to the numbers 5 and 55. For me I believe he had five mechanisms in his uni-directional wheel, and decided to use that fact as the chapter number for his long code. 5 and 5 would then apply to his bi-directional wheels, five for each direction.
DeleteJC
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DeleteCheck this out, John; F(5)=5 and F(10)=55. It is a coincidence or not I don't know :)
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number
yellow
I agree Michel, (glad to see you here) but the crozier is a new idea for me. Is that the same as a shepherd’s crook?
DeleteInteresting information yellow, thanks.
JC
John, had you noticed the image at the bottom of page 128 appears to contain Fibonacci spirals – see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number#/media/File:FibonacciSpiral.svg – Just a thought… A.N.Other
ReplyDeleteAt least, Bessler definitely used Fibonacci series in his figure. Just apply this;https://www.bigtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/fibonacci-spiral.png onto the Bessler's figure in this post.
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I’ve seen the three images you mention A.N.Other, and inspected them closely and I don’t think they are meant to allude to Fibonacci spirals, although I do agree that at first sight they look as if they might be. I think they are decorative. If possible I’ll post a picture for opinions.
DeleteJC
How is your build coming along John?
ReplyDeleteVery slow! I moved into this house last year and I have been so busy changing things to our taste here that the actual construction has had to take second place to the needs of the two of us. We've knocked walls down, refitted the enlarged room, and done loads of other things. During this time the garage which was the intended workshop has had to be used by the builders. I can't list everything we have done and the only Bessler work I've been able to do apart from this blog has been working on the computer, describing the way the wheel worked according to my interpretations of Bessler's clues, along with very many illustrations.
DeleteI do see a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm starting work on it again possibly in as little as a week. That's my intention anyway! Thanks for asking.
JC
Thanks for your note John, life can get in the road at times....... what a dilemma whatever it takes to get this on the ground, none of my attempts have proven out as of this date, but a chance configuration has shown me things that I cannot explain and will be holding out hope that this is the break i have been seeking. Anything you can share will be welcome
ReplyDeleteI noticed also something, MT drawings are ended at 143. One less than 144 which is also a Fibonacci number. I don't think it is a coincidence. Bessler probably used Fibonacci numbers in some other places too for just artistic reasons and giving a divine meaning to his design.
ReplyDeleteyellow
When I first saw Bessler’s Maschinen Tractate, it was an unbound collection of papers, but soon after it was rebound but the order of the papers was uncertain because of the variety of different numberings. The toys page is numbered 138, 139, 140 and 141 and the others you mention, 142 and 143 are not numbered by Bessler. The toys page is numbered, in my opinion, as a replacement for the pages he destroyed, so on that basis I suggest that the total is 141 - coincidentally the same number as the number of Bible quotes in chaper 55 of his Apologia Poetica.
DeleteSo there is no MT142 and MT143 in reality. This is a very important information. You should write a note about this on BesslerWiki.
DeleteI have another question. I want to see the original German preface text which is in the beginning of MT. Where can I find it?
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John, I’m sure you’re aware that 141 is also a centred pentagonal number – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centered_pentagonal_number - Regards A.N.Other
ReplyDeleteVery interesting A.N.Other, I didn't know that. I need to see a diagram demonstrating that.
DeleteYellow I'll try tp post picture at the end of the blog like I did before.
JC
You are great John!!! Thanks very much for posting the text :)
Deleteyellow
Jon, some comments/thoughts/ramblings on your 'clock' lines on the Merseberg wheel. where to start.. there are 2 drawings one is padlock 42 other is 24, one has correct shadowing one does not. The drawing doesn’t 'work' with its strange mix of shadowing and perspective the 'frame' in the centre of the pic has no engineering purpose and seems there only for alignment purposes on the two 'wrong perspective' horizontal parts (1 and 11), the shadowing error draws attention to 'wrong' perspective elementS of the drawing? Your one o'clock line kisses the bottom of the pulley, the ANGLED beam supporting the pulley is drawn 'wrong' also its seems not part of roof and not how you would make a strong 'bracket', if you move your line between aligning with frame base to centre of padlock (att. drawn by wrong numbering and a padlock may symbolise unlocked/locked/works/doesn’t work?) then you get a movement lifting the weight box and the pulley travelling along the conveniently angled beam (even has striations drawn on the beam that can indicate wood grain or movement direction), so that gives two points to move line 1 between generating a lifting moment. Now your 2 o'clock line can be moved similarly down to padlock, and it now kisses the ('wrong' and unneeded for the wheel to work...) pendulum weight and weight box corner. Now line 12, note the line goes thro' the vertical element of the capital M, note the base of the support column has a spurious rectangular 'sighting hole' whose width/alignment equals the capital M's vertical spacing, and the crank off set distance for the (unneeded other than for clues)pendulum. Now line 11, note the text top left has an exclamation mark incorrectly placed (drawing att. to either side not acting as a closing stop)it also has a 'x.x.' (we know these xx's important/in the code, also kinda like 2 scissor mechs?)try moving 11 to either of the capital M vertical elements and/or the full stops in 'x.x.' and see the alignments on the lower section of drawing that you get, maybe another 'movement' ?
ReplyDeleteFinally I wonder if the 'clock lines' tie in with the 'and still you don’t understand?' logo he drew?, oh and there’s a pretty good crosier hidden in the squiggles of his curly signature.
Regards
Jon
Thanks for your comments Jon. I have responses to many of your points which I will share in the next few weeks....months....years, just as soon as I’ve worked them out!
DeleteJC
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