From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
The Canard Digérateur, or Digesting Duck, was an automaton in the form of duck, created by Jacques de Vaucanson in 1739. Voltaire wrote that "without [...] the duck of Vaucanson, you have nothing to remind you of the glory of France." ("Sans...le canard de Vaucanson vous n'auriez rien qui fit ressouvenir de la gloire de la France.") This is often misquoted as "Without the shitting duck, we would have nothing to remind us of the glory of France."
- a mechanical or electrical device that performs or assists in the performance of human tasks, or is used for amusement (like a pinball machine).
- the group that controls a political or similar organization.
- a vehicle operated mechanically; an automobile.
- a person who seemingly acts like a machine, a person who is very proficient at a task.
- Bruce Campbell was a "demon-killing machine" because he made quick work of killing demons.
Types and related components
Types of machines and related components
Classification | Machine(s)
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Simple machines | Inclined plane, Wheel and axle, Lever, Pulley, Wedge, Screw
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Mechanical components | Axle, Bearings, Belts, Bucket, Fastener, Gear, Key, Link chains, Rack and pinion, Roller chains, Rope, Seals, Spring, Wheel
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Clock | Atomic clock, Chronometer, Pendulum clock, Quartz clock
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Compressors and Pumps | Archimedes' screw, Eductor-jet pump, Hydraulic ram, Pump, Tuyau, Vacuum pump
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Heat engines | External combustion engines | Steam engine, Stirling engine
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Internal combustion engines | Reciprocating engine, Gas turbine
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Heat pumps | Absorption refrigerator, Thermoelectric refrigerator, Regenerative cooling
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Linkages | Pantograph, Cam, Peaucellier-Lipkin
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Turbine | Gas turbine, Jet engine, Steam turbine, Water turbine, Wind generator, Windmill
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Aerofoil | Sail, Wing, Rudder, Flap, Propeller
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Electronic devices | Vacuum tube, Transistor, Diode, Resistor, Capacitor, Inductor, Memristor, Semiconductor, Computer
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Robots | Actuator, Servo, Servomechanism, Stepper motor, Computer
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Miscellaneous | Vending machine, Wind tunnel, Check weighing machines, Riveting machines
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See also