Screw pump different applications and handling fluids with varying characteristics. Each ‘screw pump' operates on the same basic principle of a screw turning to isolate a volume of fluid and convey it. However, the mechanical design of each is different. The primary difference is the number of screws: one, two, three or more. The screw pump was described by Archimedes on the occasion of his visit to Egypt. This suggests that the apparatus was unknown to the Greeks before Hellenistic times. A cuneiform inscription of Assyrian king Sennacherib (704–681 BC) has been interpreted by Stephanie Dalley to describe casting water screws in
Acorn Archimedes family omitted either the Acorn or Archimedes part of the name; the first models were named "BBC Archimedes", yet the name "Acorn Archimedes" is commonly used to describe any of Acorn's contemporary designs based on the same architecture. Archimedes machines are no longer sold, but computers such as the Raspberry Pi can still run its operating system, RISC OS (at least later versions), as they use ARM chips that are (mostly) compatible. The Acorn Archimedes was the first RISC-based home computer. The first models were released in June 1987, as the 300 and 400 series. The 400 series included four