Raimundus Lullus
«Ars Magna et Ultima»

In a sketch from 1501 (in Frankfurt, 1596), Lullus introduces the use of combinatorics in order to arrive at the sequences that he produces through a mechanically-controlled process. Guided by this premise, he creates his disc device, limited to 54 fundamental terms, abbreviated letters (the ‹alphabetum›), for automatically deducing an unlimited number of sequences. To simplify the combining process, Lullus uses geometric figures and graphs. The device described in the «Ars Magna et Ultima» consists of a mechanical system based on concentric discs revolving in opposite directions and connected by a central axle. While the outer disc remains in a fixed position, the inner discs are allowed to turn. The letters are put on the discs in such a way that diverse combinations can be mechanically produced through their contra-rotating revolutions.

 

Claudia Giannetti