windpump

A windpump is a wind-driven device which is used for pumping water. thumb|right|The windmills at Kinderdijk in the village of [[Kinderdijk, Netherlands is a UNESCO World Heritage Site]] thumb|De Olifant, Burdaard|De Olifant at [[Burdaard, Friesland]] thumb|right|Tjasker in Hayward, California Windpumps were used to pump water since at least the 9th century in what is now Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The use of windpumps became widespread across the Muslim world and later spread to China and India. Windpumps were later used extensively in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and the East Anglia area of Great Britain, from the late Middle Ages onwards, to drain land for agricultural or building purposes.

Simon Stevin's work in the waterstaet involved improvements to the sluices and spillways to control flooding. Windpumps were already in use to pump the water out, but in Van de Molens (On mills), he suggested improvements, including the idea that the wheels should move slowly, and a better system for meshing of the gear teeth. These improvements increased the efficiency of the windpumps used to extract water out of the polders by a factor of three. He received a patent on his innovation in 1586.