History
The “Holy Water Dispenser” also known as the “First Vending Machine” was invented in in first century A.D. in Greece by Heron, or Hero, of Alexandria (c.10 ad – c.70 ad) who today is a very well known and respected mathematician, inventor and physicist. Throughout his life, Heron created a large number of small machines from which modern inventors, mathematicians and physicists throughout the centuries have been able to expand their own principles and develop many more outstanding innovations. Heron was an inspiration to many dreamers and innovators throughout history.
The reason for which Heron decided to invent a machine such as the “Holy Water Dispenser” was so that it may be used by the worshippers of Greece and only for those willing to pay, as back in the day people would take more holy water than they were paying for, so they were basically thieves. In Ancient Greece it was customary to take a ritualistic bath with holy water before entering the temple. This machine’s job (as accurately described in the title) was to dispense the holy water to the worshippers before they went into the temple. The machine does so by using the weight from the coin dropped into it to then affect a lever on the inside causing it to unplug the section containing the water and thus allowing a certain amount to run out of the machine. It revolutionized the lives of these Ancient Greek worshipers.
For the while after this machine was thought of and then built, the church was protected from the thievery of holy water during this time. This machine also brought profit to the temple which helped to expand the belief even more. As of today we are affected by this machine as it is a representation of the first dispenser of our world. Dispensers like Vending Machines provide pizza, live crabs, chips and sugar filled juices which in lieu of benefiting our society, damages it by making our lives vulnerable to health issues such as diabetes. Of course everything originates from something and the purpose of each adapted machine is different therefore making it responsible of only what it can do or has done. I’m sure Heron would have never guessed the millions of coins put into a dispenser per day which contributes to the lack of nutrients for our bodies, however it is still a marvellous machine by a great mind.
Physics Involved
The machine we have built has many physics components involved, however the ones we understand, are few. The Holy Water Dispenser begins its journey by a coin drop. The potential energy rests in the coin, once the coin is dropped the potential energy converted into kinetic energy. This coin must be heavier than the stopper so as it releases the water. Once the coin is released the velocity of the coin increases and the gravitational field strength acting on the object is 9.81m/s^2 as we are on earth.
It pulls the coin downward whilst it hits the spoon end of the lever bringing that side down with the coin. This a video of our machine in Slow Motion. The gravitational force acting on the coin is an action at a distance force and occurs between two objects attracting one another. The formula for gravitational force is Fg=mg in this case as the earth has a greater mass than the coin, its gravitational force is larger, attracting the coin to earth.
The lever (picture found at the bottom of the post) in this Coin-Operated Holy Water Dispenser is what was defined by Archimedes as a simple machine. A simple machine is something to which we can apply force and it multiplies our force, meaning the force required is less. One way force is measured is as the product of mass and gravitational field strength. It is a push or pull that occurs when two objects are interacting with each other. So for example lets say the coin I’ve dropped, is an american quarter, it has a mass of 5.70g. In kilograms this objects mass is 0.00570 and multiplied by the gravitational field strength; 9.81m/s^2, the resulting force of these two objects interacting with one another is 0.0559 N (newtons). Now that the only force required is for us to bring up a coin to the coin slit and the force of gravity, makes this machine easy for us to use as we exert less force.
Finally when the coin is dropped the other side of the lever that hovers above the water, is lifted. This lever moves along an axis, which makes friction when motion takes place therefore wasting energy, which is what occurs with machines. For an object to be a machine, its efficiency will always be less than 100%, in other words the amount of energy required (put into the machine) will always be greater the amount of energy used in producing the final result such as lighting a light bulb or lifting the stopper. However the machine still works as its efficiency is not 0. So, string is attached to the stopper and the lever, so when the lever end goes up it in turn brings the stopper up and lets the water run in the direction that is open, as all liquids conform to the shape of the container they are in. The water escapes and goes through the piping and fills the shape of the plastic box that collects water, where churchgoers would dip their fingers for the holy water.
Day-To-Day Journal
Day 1: Introduction To The Project
Ava and I decided to be partners for this Archimedes Challenge. We researched various options such as the death ray, which we both agree would be amazing to build however, the fresnel lens required to build this is much too expensive, around 100 dollars, so we’ve decided not to build that. Unfortunately we didn’t get to this conclusion till the end of class because we were hopeful we could somehow build a fresnel lens or find one in household items. Apparently you can find small lenses in televisions and magnifying glasses yet it wouldn’t work to the extent we need it to for the machine.
Day 2: Other Ideas
Today we researched other machines we could build, like the waterwheel and the catapult. I had already built a catapult in grade 8 and wasn’t interested in building one again. The waterwheel seemed possible but complicated, we didn’t know if we had the material necessary or if we would be able to explain the physics involved in how a waterwheel creates energy. It is a variation of an ancient machine but we couldn’t find a good image nor enough information to build off of so we decided against this as well. Finally we looked at other ancient inventions and found the “Holy Water Dispenser” made by Hero of Alexandria. We found one video of it working online and that was enough to go off of, so we decided to build it. We began making a list of materials and a sketch of what was needed.
Day 3: Continuing Drawing
We rewrote and re-sketched the machine as it was very messy the first time through. This class was only 50 minutes, so as I sketched, Ava found some more websites about the machine’s history and another couple images we could go off of. We also discussed things we need to bring, in terms of machinery, such as drills and saws.
Day 4: We Built, Sort Of
Finally we brought in materials necessary to build. We cut out parts for the box, glued two cardboard pieces together and measured it so it was the perfect size. It was sturdy enough to hold up the lever, the water and other materials. The problem with holding the water in a container was we wanted it in a plastic cup attached to a funnel, attached to a straw which would drain out the water, so we decided to make the funnel since neither of us had one. We made it out of a tart aluminum tray and hot glue. I also began to realize that a cork, wouldn’t work as it would float in water, so we needed something heavier, like a rubber stopper. The thing about our self made funnel was that the interior wasn’t perfectly conical and smooth therefore making it impossible to seal with a rubber stopper. So that idea didn’t work out however, while thinking about that small failure I realized what it looked like; an upside down water bottle. So during the weekend I gathered a bunch of materials I thought would work for the upside down water bottle and I cut down the water bottle and the rubber stopper to size.
Day 5: Scrambling for Solutions
We worked very hard in class, we cut down the wood for the lever and put it together with a nail that acted as 
an axis. The lever was hard to built as it was quite small in size yet we managed. We added a sturdy spoon to one end of the lever and made sure to measure everything out and draw on the cardboard platform to make sure we had room for everything. We cut holes in the platform for the water bottle and the coin collector. Later on in the day I could not make the water bottle work nor the rubber stopper so, I found the cap of a glue bottle and a cough syrup medicine bottle that was very study plastic. Together they fit, yet the stopper was still an issue. Short Mid-Building Video found HERE.
I began to think of things like marbles or bouncy balls and tried both out and it still leaked water. Finally i used a drill bit and tiny magnet balls and it worked! The water didn’t leak. I hot glued string to the “stopper” and the end of the lever, then glued everything in place and attached the end of the glue cap to a soap dispenser ending and made it exit the box. I attached a plastic box to the exterior of the box
to collect the water. I painted everything that the water travelled through blue, and where the coin travelled; gold. Of course the box was left open so everyone could view the entirior mechanism but traditionally the machine is sealed. The coins I used varied in mass and obviously there was a minimal mass that worked, however the point is, it finally worked.
Final Product
A video of the machine working is found HERE.
Citations
Smith College Museum of Ancient Inventions: Holy Water Dispenser, www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsc18b.htm.
“Heron’s Inventions includes Holy Water Dispenser and the Aeolipile.” Explorable – Think Outside The Box – Research, Experiments, Psychology, Self-Help, explorable.com/heron-inventions.
“Incredible Ancient Machines Invented By Hero Of Alexandria – An Engineer Far Ahead Of His Time.” Ancient Pages, 24 Apr. 2017, www.ancientpages.com/2014/11/12/incredible-ancient-machines-invented-hero-alexandria-engineer-far-ahead-time/.
Jaffe, Eric. “Old World, High Tech.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Dec. 2006, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/old-world-high-tech-141284744/?no-ist=&page=2.
Jaffe, Eric. “Old World, High Tech.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Dec. 2006, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/old-world-high-tech-141284744/?no-ist=&page=2.
R, Rajkumar. “Ancient Coin-Operated Holy Water Dispensing Machine.” Elixir Of Knowledge, www.elixirofknowledge.com/2014/06/ancient-coin-operated-holy-water.html.
“The World’s First Vending Machine Dispensed Holy Water.” Mental Floss, 30 Oct. 2015, mentalfloss.com/article/68270/worlds-first-vending-machine-dispensed-holy-water.
mixaliskots. “ΑΡΧΑΙΕΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΕΣ ΜΗΧΑΝΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΥΤΟΜΑΤΑ 3.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Oct. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nadZEpAt0o.