No 7: Phillips Machine

THIS wondrous sight (not the strange professor) is the Phillips' Machine, invented by Bill Phillips, New Zealand Engineer and Economist, and also responsible for the Phillips' Curve. He built 14 of these machines, which model the economy using flows of water. This one was constructed for the LSE.

This video shows how it works:

http://mediaplayer.group.cam.ac.uk/component/option,com_mediadb/task,play/idstr,CU-AllanMcRobie-Phillips2004/vv,-2/Itemid,55

Ah, if only the real economy could be controlled in this way. More advanced students might want to consider the advantages and disadvantages of modelling the economy in such a mechanistic Newtonian manner, and how recent Mathematical and Biological theories would challenge this.

Or you may prefer to watch funny cats on youtube......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZNNqPsH_J8