On Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 3:08 AM Steve Lewis via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> What I meant was that in the title of the book they use "digital computer" > and I wonder if there was ever a book describing a mechanical "analog > computer" - and what they might even look like. There have been mechanical analogue computers and I have at least one book describing them on my shelves. Typically they used disc integrators with an igenious arrangement of strings and drums as a torque amplifier. These were then coupled by gearing which had to be set up for each problem (simple gear trains correspond to fixed gain amplifiers, differential gear trains to differential amplfiiers, etc). I doubt you could make one from cardboard, but there was at least one UK University that made a simple one from Meccano (similar to Erector Sets across the Pond?). It was on show, not operating, in the London Science Museum at one time, but I think it's in storage now, -tony
