Who invented the water wheel?


Quick Answer

The first vertical water wheel was said to be invented by a Roman engineer named Vitruvius. This occurred somewhere between 31 B.C. and 14 A.D. during the Augustan Age.

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Full Answer

An early example of the water wheel is the use of 16 water wheels to power a flour mill named Barbegal during the fourth century in southern France. There are three types of water wheels; two of them are vertical and one is horizontal. Other countries started using horizontal water wheels, but the Romans were the first to make a vertical water wheel. Vertical wheels are classified as either undershot or overshot water wheels.

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