Inkandescent Kids Story of the Day

The art of invention: What do Brenden Sener (at 12), Archimedes, and a death ray have in common?

May 2026, Popular Mechanics magazine — “It might be surprising to learn that then-12-year-old Brenden Sener of London, Ontario was enthralled by Ancient Greek concepts. It makes more sense once you find out which legend grabbed him,” writes journalist Tim Newcomb in an article this month in Popular Mechanics. “Experts have credited the mathematician Archimedes with a weapon that could concentrate sunlight onto enemy ships: the death ray. And Sener wanted to know whether that story could hold up in the classroom.”

Tim notes that Sener, now 13, has earned multiple medals for his attempt to bring the ancient device to life, as described in his 2024 paper published in the Canadian Science Fair Journal.

Brenden’s experiment tested whether mirrors could concentrate heat—not whether ancient Syracuse fielded a working solar weapon. And there’s no archaeological evidence that proves that the death ray—also known as a heat ray—was ever used. The famous version of the story relies on later accounts, not on a clean contemporary record of the Roman siege of Syracuse. In the legend, the weapon used large mirrors—or sometimes polished shields—to focus sunlight onto Roman ships.

 

In his experiment: Brenden crafted a miniature version of the concept. He used a heat lamp and four concave mirrors, each pointed to hit a mark on a piece of cardboard. Presented at the 2023 Matthews Hall Annual Science Fair, he found that as he added mirrors, the temperature at the target location increased.

“The historical descriptions of the use of the death ray in ancient Syracuse are plausible,” Brenden has said, noting that no archeological evidence of Archimedes’ death ray has been found besides what is recorded in the books of ancient philosophers.

Brenden isn’t the first to explore Archimedes ideas. In 2006, the Discovery Channel’s MythBusters series tested scenarios three different times, but failed to make a boat catch fire. Experts believe that moving ships and clouds would limit the Sun’s heat and foil an attempt.

Learn more about Brenden here.

Learn more about Archimedes on Wikipedia: An Ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor from the city of Syracuse in Sicily, few details of his life are known of Archimedes’ life. But based on his surviving work, he is considered one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity, and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Archimedes anticipated modern calculus and analysis by applying the concept of the infinitesimals and the method of exhaustion to derive and rigorously prove many geometrical theorems, including the area of a circle, the surface area and volume of a sphere, the area of an ellipse, the area under a parabola, the volume of a segment of a paraboloid of revolution, the volume of a segment of a hyperboloid of revolution, and the area of a spiral.

Click here to read the entire article by Tim Newcomb, a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest, who covers stadiums, sneakers, gear, infrastructure, and more for a variety of publications, including Popular Mechanics.

What have you invented? We want to hear from you! Click here to send an email with questions and ideas to Ellen Smith, editor, Inkandescent Kids magazine.

March 2026: In her books to help families thrive, child psychiatrist Dr. Gayani DeSilva offers insights for tweens and teens — and their parents — to stop addiction and depression before it starts

A Note from Dr. Gayani DeSilva, a child and adolescent psychiatrist — “I obtained my medical training at Albany Medical College before interning at Brown University and doing a residency at Harvard, and have been honored to win numerous awards for my insights and work, including helping children in juvenile justice centers and foster care. Based on my experience and research, I have written several books with the goal of providing insight for parents hoping to help depressed tweens and keep their children from suffering from addiction.” If you are struggling with these issues, please take a look at these books.

 

February 2026: “We show our kids and each other a powerful act of love when we keep them safe in the car,” says auto expert Judy Curry, who shares “12 Ways to Keep Kids Safe in the Car”

A Note from Judy Curry, co-founder, Curry’s Auto Service — “Few parents forget the first time they put their infant into the car. Many hospitals won’t release a new mother unless she has an infant car seat for her baby. Installing car seats correctly is an essential part of being a good parent. But almost anyone who has installed a car seat knows it’s a challenge to get the seat set up correctly. The good news is that help is available.” Check out these 12 ways to keep kids safe.

January 2026: Start the new year off right with rock star and social justice activist Michael Franti whose songs teach us the art of embracing “Peace, Love, and Social Justice”

A Note from rock star Michael Franti — “When I’m asked if I’d ever think when I was a little kid that you would be traveling the world playing music, I admit it really was not an ambition of mine. Throughout my childhood, all I wanted to do was to be a basketball player, and I eventually played at the University of San Francisco. My dorm room was right above the campus radio station, so I’d hear these bass lines coming up through the floor all of the time, and at first, it was kind of annoying. And then I started to get into music, hearing all these different styles coming out of the campus radio station. By the end of the semester, I was hooked, and the rest is history.”

December 2025: Children’s book author Karen Leggett Abouraya teaches us that we are all connected in her newest tale, Zamzam

A Note from Karen Leggett Abouraya, author of the children’s book, “Zamzam” — Zamzam is a young boy who enjoys life with his Egyptian grandparents in Alexandria, Egypt, and his American grandparents in New York City. He shares big and little differences in his daily experiences in each country – including phrases in Arabic and English — but ultimately realizes that the most important experiences are exactly the same​ across cultures. We know you’ll embrace this story of peace, family, and love.

November 2025 — We give thanks this month with “Nonviolence,” an award-winning essay by high school student Shay Jackson entitled, “Living the Dream”

A Note from Shay Jackson, from her essay, “Nonviolence” — There have been many successful nonviolent movements throughout history. One of the most well-known was the Indian Independence Movement, led by the notable Mahatma Gandhi, another famous civil rights activist. The movement used nonviolent resistance to end British colonial rule in India. Another important movement was in the United States, with leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., who advocated for racial equality. They used peaceful protests and civil disobedience. Another nonviolent act was the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, where the Czechs used nonviolent protests to end Communist rule. These movements show the power of nonviolence. Nonviolence is a significant movement to change.

October 2025: Learn to be MoneySmarts with LouAnn Lofton, author of “Warren Buffett Invests Like a Girl,” started investing as a student. You can, too!

A Note from LouAnn Lofton, the author of Warren Buffett Invests Like a Girl — When it comes to knowing the value of investing wisely, we learn from the woman who started to grow her portfolio at age 15, shortly after the death of her father, a pharmacist, who set aside funds for LouAnn and her two siblings. “Because my father died, it meant that I would inherit some money upon my 21st birthday. I decided, about a year out of high school, to learn about investing, so I didn’t squander the opportunity presented to me by that money.”

September 2025: In his new book, “The Secret Sauce,” Superintendent Peter Noonan and his team of Educators Share 45 Ideas on What Makes FCCPS Special

A Note from Dr. Peter Noonan, Superintendent of Schools — “When I arrived in 2017 to serve Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) as the 9th Superintendent in the division’s history, I knew something about this place was different than anywhere else I had ever worked,” insists Dr. Noonan. Read all about it in the 45 essays by teachers, administrators, and Fall Church officials that sum up the story in his 2025 book, “The Secret Sauce.”

August 2025: Welcome to Inkandescent Kids magazine — the online publication for kids, by kids, about kids! Learn to think like a reporter

A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, Inkandescent Kids — Hello and welcome to the newest magazine from the Inkandescent PR + Publishing Co. I cooked up this project in my mind back in 2017, but I wasn’t quite ready to bring it to fruition in the summer of 2025. Sometimes things need to simmer for a while before the meal is ready to serve. Today, it is with great pride and love that I share with you the publication for kids, by kids, about kids. We are on a mission to help children around the world think like reporters. Please join us.