Read Online Tom Swift and His Electronic Retroscope by Victor Appleton II - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Victor Appleton II
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disappointment. The picture produced by the retroscope was a mere blur! No distinct figures could be detected amidst the visual fog.
Tom made numerous adjustments without success. His face filled with dismay.
Was his new invention a failure?
CHAPTER 8
MIGHTY MAX
"ANY idea what’s wrong?" Professor Castillez asked in a sympathetic tone.
"Not yet. I feel like giving it a kick, like an old TV set." The young inventor unscrewed the rear panel of the camera’s main unit. "Have to check a few of these circuits first."
Bud and the others watched as he probed deftly among the maze of microelectronic parts. Using an oscilloscope and several other testing devices, Tom made a quick check of the reproducer component, then the "brain," and finally each part of the scanning apparatus.
"What’s the verdict, trouble shooter?" Bud asked, as the young scientist-inventor finished examining the setup.
"Everything checks out," Tom said gloomily, "so the fault must be in my design. I have a hunch it’s the scanner. Apparently it doesn’t ‘see’ the stone in enough detail for the reproducer to form a clear picture."
Bud was almost as dismayed as Tom, but tried to cheer his pal. "You’ll work it out, skipper—probably in the middle of the night!"
Tom gave a wry smile of thanks. "At any rate, at least one part of the retroscope is working just fine—the master time dial."
"What’s that?" inquired Doc.
"A separate function of the camera which uses various kinds of magnetization and radioactive-decomposition data to calculate when a carved surface was first exposed. Turns out in this case that it’s four baktuns old."
Bud’s brow puckered into a frown. "Four which?"
"Ya picked my brain, Buddy Boy!" Chow said.
"Four baktuns." Tom chuckled. "Dad sent some books on Mayan culture with me, and I’ve been reading up on their calendar and system of numbers. A baktun is four hundred years. The actual date, if it were carved on the stone, would be—let me see, 8.14.0.0.0 7 Ahau 3 Xul, which would be September first, A.D. 317, by our calendar."
"Wow! Over sixteen hundred years old!" Bud gave a whistle.
"Our course, your estimation ignores the intercalary ‘bad-luck’ days, as they were regarded," was Hutchcraft's supercilious comment. "But close enough, I suppose."
Bud gave the man a look of irritation. "That’s plenty ancient for me! But what if the inscribed date turns out to be different from what your time dial reads?"
"Then I’ll assume the retroscope is at fault," Tom responded. "The old Mayas just didn’t make mistakes when it came to dates. By means of astronomy they were able to figure out the length of a solar year right on the button. And they were wizards with numbers."
Tom went on to explain how the Mayas had developed two kinds of numerical notations. One, using a system of bars and dots, was simpler and easier to figure out than Roman numerals. The other, using pictures of human heads to represent the numbers from one to thirteen and also zero, was much like our present-day Arabic numerals.
"What’s even more amazing," Tom told Bud as the others listened, "the old Mayas were first to develop an accurate calendar and to reckon time from a fixed date. They were able to figure out the length of a year so closely that their calendar was actually more accurate than the one Americans were using at the time George Washington was born."
"Must’ve been a bunch o’ smart cookies,’’ Chow said, impressed.
"It’s strange how such a great civilization as theirs could decline," mused Doc Simpson. "I’ve read that many of their cities and ceremonial sites were abandoned abruptly, almost overnight."
"Yes, it is true," nodded Hu-Quetzal.
"As to that," began Hutchcraft in a lecturing tone, "several theorists have suggested—"
Tom pretended not to notice. "You must read this book, Doc. Right now I’d better stop talking and pack down the retroscope for the night. Then—next order of business—installing the
Tom made numerous adjustments without success. His face filled with dismay.
Was his new invention a failure?
CHAPTER 8
MIGHTY MAX
"ANY idea what’s wrong?" Professor Castillez asked in a sympathetic tone.
"Not yet. I feel like giving it a kick, like an old TV set." The young inventor unscrewed the rear panel of the camera’s main unit. "Have to check a few of these circuits first."
Bud and the others watched as he probed deftly among the maze of microelectronic parts. Using an oscilloscope and several other testing devices, Tom made a quick check of the reproducer component, then the "brain," and finally each part of the scanning apparatus.
"What’s the verdict, trouble shooter?" Bud asked, as the young scientist-inventor finished examining the setup.
"Everything checks out," Tom said gloomily, "so the fault must be in my design. I have a hunch it’s the scanner. Apparently it doesn’t ‘see’ the stone in enough detail for the reproducer to form a clear picture."
Bud was almost as dismayed as Tom, but tried to cheer his pal. "You’ll work it out, skipper—probably in the middle of the night!"
Tom gave a wry smile of thanks. "At any rate, at least one part of the retroscope is working just fine—the master time dial."
"What’s that?" inquired Doc.
"A separate function of the camera which uses various kinds of magnetization and radioactive-decomposition data to calculate when a carved surface was first exposed. Turns out in this case that it’s four baktuns old."
Bud’s brow puckered into a frown. "Four which?"
"Ya picked my brain, Buddy Boy!" Chow said.
"Four baktuns." Tom chuckled. "Dad sent some books on Mayan culture with me, and I’ve been reading up on their calendar and system of numbers. A baktun is four hundred years. The actual date, if it were carved on the stone, would be—let me see, 8.14.0.0.0 7 Ahau 3 Xul, which would be September first, A.D. 317, by our calendar."
"Wow! Over sixteen hundred years old!" Bud gave a whistle.
"Our course, your estimation ignores the intercalary ‘bad-luck’ days, as they were regarded," was Hutchcraft's supercilious comment. "But close enough, I suppose."
Bud gave the man a look of irritation. "That’s plenty ancient for me! But what if the inscribed date turns out to be different from what your time dial reads?"
"Then I’ll assume the retroscope is at fault," Tom responded. "The old Mayas just didn’t make mistakes when it came to dates. By means of astronomy they were able to figure out the length of a solar year right on the button. And they were wizards with numbers."
Tom went on to explain how the Mayas had developed two kinds of numerical notations. One, using a system of bars and dots, was simpler and easier to figure out than Roman numerals. The other, using pictures of human heads to represent the numbers from one to thirteen and also zero, was much like our present-day Arabic numerals.
"What’s even more amazing," Tom told Bud as the others listened, "the old Mayas were first to develop an accurate calendar and to reckon time from a fixed date. They were able to figure out the length of a year so closely that their calendar was actually more accurate than the one Americans were using at the time George Washington was born."
"Must’ve been a bunch o’ smart cookies,’’ Chow said, impressed.
"It’s strange how such a great civilization as theirs could decline," mused Doc Simpson. "I’ve read that many of their cities and ceremonial sites were abandoned abruptly, almost overnight."
"Yes, it is true," nodded Hu-Quetzal.
"As to that," began Hutchcraft in a lecturing tone, "several theorists have suggested—"
Tom pretended not to notice. "You must read this book, Doc. Right now I’d better stop talking and pack down the retroscope for the night. Then—next order of business—installing the
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