(1/4) Exploring how the differential analyser works in simple terms
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- University of Kent historian Tom Ritchie discusses and demonstrates the unlikely link between the children’s toy Meccano and the birth of computers as part of his History Ph.D. project (in collaboration with the Science Museum, Kensington).
Tom, working with two 'Meccanomen' (Ian Henwood and Matthew Goodman), explores how the rebuilt differential analyser works.
This demonstration was designed to appeal beyond simply those who traditionally attend academic lectures, engaging children, young adults, and the general public, avoiding jargon and confusing language as much as possible, to help them engage with challenging historical, mathematical and engineering concepts in a simple, 'hands-on' way.
This was organised with the help of the Templeman Library, the Special Collections and Archives Team, the School of History, the Science Museum.
For more on this project and other work:
Personal Blog: tomritchie.co.uk/
Twitter: @Tom_Ritchie1
Email: tawr4@kent.ac.uk
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When asked to think about computers, what is the first thing that comes to your mind - maybe the big ones, like Steve Jobs and the iPhone, Bill Gates and the Microsoft computer, or Alan Turing and Enigma?
But very few of us would think of Douglas Hartree and his Differential Analyser. Yet, before the Second World War, in 1934, Hartree and this analogue computer were at the forefront of computing, both in Britain and abroad. In fact, the Hartree Differential Analyser was the first analogue computer of its kind to be built in the U.K.
What are analogue computers? Analogue computers rely on the mechanical movement of continuously changing physical quantities to create answers. Whereas digital computers - the laptops and smartphones that shape our world today - resolve equations, using binary language (i.e., in the form of 0 and 1).
Put simply, if you could look at analogue computers in action, you would actually be able to see an equation move through them mechanically, from the input table, through the integrating units, to the answers that are drawn by the output table.
This was the genius behind Douglas Hartree’s alternative approach to computing. His analyser was only the beginning. It led to the development of a number of other machines, which were used during the Second World War to calculate anti-aircraft ballistics trajectories and the Tube Alloys initiative (Britain’s own nuclear weapons programme).
What makes the Hartree Differential Analyser even more impressive is the unlikely material it was built with. Forget diodes and motherboards, Douglas Hartree and his research student Arthur Porter constructed one of the world’s first computers from the children’s toy Meccano.
My Father worked with Douglas Hartree during the 2ndWW at Manchester University, on the original U.K Differential Analyser. Subsequently he taught Maths and made a Meccano Model similar to yours, to demonstrate solving equations. I have now been able to donate his model to the History of Computing in Cambridge, where it will be demonstrated to and used by visiitors to the Museum. Very interesting to see your Video, thank you.
Great video guys. And this is basically the basis for quantum computers but instead of mechanical systems we use the fundamental physical properties of materials to generate outputs based on input conditions.
Wow! This really helps with understanding how a mechanical integrator works. Thank you!
Fantastic video!
Excellent! Thanks a lo.
Very interesting! Where's the next part? Thanks.
Except, a real odometer AFAIK doesn't do any integration at all, unless you call keeping a running sum "integration", while the only calculus being done is by the speedometer, doing differentiation. And in an electromechanical apparatus, differentiation w.r.t. time is easily accomplished by Faraday's law with a generator. So I think a better example could've been given.
I've never heard of a thread 'having teeth' before ....
Tom, thank you so much for this video! This is amazing craftsmenship and brainpower. Is there any way I can ask a question about the analyzer, that is, I have done extensive research on the birth of mathematics, physics, etc. and what I want to know for sure with this analyzer is ; the ACTUAL input type. Were these speeds/ positions, etc. all being inputted by a human operator as a voltage signal the correlates to speed, etc. If so (or not so) how were the INPUTS specifically connected and what type of signals were they. (and maybe, for what purpose) Although I understand that these were obviously used heavily by the military for different types of defense and war strategies and operations. Thank you in advance no matter the outcome.....:) no pun intended lol.
Some Boffin used one to calculate the growth rate of the rabbit plague in the NZ South Island 100 years ago. The only problem is that they could not get their arses into gear to wipe out the rabbits
Anyone else have the video get stuck at 00:46?
Seems OK to me.