Analog Mechanical Computers

The cluster focuses on discussions of historical analog and mechanical computers, including examples like Babbage's Analytical Engine, the Antikythera mechanism, and their capabilities compared to modern digital computers.

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20
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5
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#3243
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Keywords

HN teachastronomy.com computer.html ycombinator.com cornell.edu youtu.be omegataupodcast.net AC en.m OmegaTau computers mechanical analog computer analogue devices computing purpose digital machine

Sample Comments

ants_everywhere Sep 24, 2025 View on HN

I think you may be forgetting about analog computers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer

userbinator Nov 18, 2021 View on HN

Babbage's analytical engine comes close, and doesn't even use electricity.

wtracy Aug 23, 2011 View on HN

This would be an interesting starting point for a mechanical computer.

meric Apr 28, 2014 View on HN

Perhaps they used "analog computers"? One example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELWAT

adamnemecek Oct 22, 2020 View on HN

Are we talking about analog computers?

afandian May 22, 2020 View on HN

One of the world's first disposable [analogue] computers

teqsun Aug 20, 2024 View on HN

Thought it was very interesting to see the precursors of modern computers and how they achieved the various mathematical functions mechanically

JoeAltmaier Sep 14, 2018 View on HN

Its an analog computer, plain and simple! Just because its not digital, doesn't mean its not 'really computing'

NooneAtAll3 Dec 11, 2024 View on HN

mechanical computers were, at best, calculatorsuniversal computation was not a thing yet

RalfWausE Jun 23, 2022 View on HN

I would highly suggest a look into the topic of analog computers for this purpose