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As We May Think--early computer article 1945 [message #399876] Fri, 11 September 2020 14:53 Go to next message
hancock4 is currently offline  hancock4
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Registered: December 2011
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In 1945 chief scientist Vannevar Bush wrote an article
on the future of mechanized information processing.

I believe Bush invented the analog computer.

LIFE magazine published an excerpt. It may be
viewed here:
https://books.google.com/books?id=uUkEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA118 &dq=life%20%22as%20we%20may%20think%22&pg=PA112#v=on epage&q&f=false

(Same issue has an illustrated piece on occupation of Japan.)
Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 [message #399888 is a reply to message #399876] Fri, 11 September 2020 18:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Quadibloc is currently offline  Quadibloc
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On Friday, September 11, 2020 at 12:53:02 PM UTC-6, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> I believe Bush invented the analog computer.

That depends on how you define 'analog computer', since some would dignify the
Gunter scale and William Oughtred's invention by that name. However, the
differential analyzer of Vannevar Bush, unlike, say, a mechanical tide predictor
(another much earlier device sometimes called an analog computer) was very much
a mechanical device that had the same functionality as an electronic analog
computer: through feedback between functions, functions of those functions, adn
integrals or differentials of those functions, it could produce an analog
solution to a differential equation.

A tide predictor, on the other hand, just cranks out numerical values for a
Fourier series that is already known; the differential analyzer solved problems
where the solution was not known.

So there is definitely a sense in which the Bush differential analyzer was the
first 'real' analog computer.

John Savard
Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 [message #399900 is a reply to message #399888] Fri, 11 September 2020 20:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: J. Clarke

On Fri, 11 Sep 2020 15:28:24 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
<jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:

> On Friday, September 11, 2020 at 12:53:02 PM UTC-6, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
>
>> I believe Bush invented the analog computer.
>
> That depends on how you define 'analog computer', since some would dignify the
> Gunter scale and William Oughtred's invention by that name. However, the
> differential analyzer of Vannevar Bush, unlike, say, a mechanical tide predictor
> (another much earlier device sometimes called an analog computer) was very much
> a mechanical device that had the same functionality as an electronic analog
> computer: through feedback between functions, functions of those functions, adn
> integrals or differentials of those functions, it could produce an analog
> solution to a differential equation.
>
> A tide predictor, on the other hand, just cranks out numerical values for a
> Fourier series that is already known; the differential analyzer solved problems
> where the solution was not known.
>
> So there is definitely a sense in which the Bush differential analyzer was the
> first 'real' analog computer.

According to wiki Lord Kelvin and his brother James Thompson published
a description of a device that is identifiably a differential analyzer
in 1876. Machines derived from this work were, as you said, used as
tide predictors but also were the first computers used to direct naval
gunfire, and were in use for that purpose in 1916.
>
> John Savard
Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 [message #399907 is a reply to message #399900] Sat, 12 September 2020 05:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: Bob Eager

On Fri, 11 Sep 2020 20:52:13 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:

> On Fri, 11 Sep 2020 15:28:24 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
> wrote:
>
>> On Friday, September 11, 2020 at 12:53:02 PM UTC-6, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I believe Bush invented the analog computer.
>>
>> That depends on how you define 'analog computer', since some would
>> dignify the Gunter scale and William Oughtred's invention by that name.
>> However, the differential analyzer of Vannevar Bush, unlike, say, a
>> mechanical tide predictor (another much earlier device sometimes called
>> an analog computer) was very much a mechanical device that had the same
>> functionality as an electronic analog computer: through feedback between
>> functions, functions of those functions, adn integrals or differentials
>> of those functions, it could produce an analog solution to a
>> differential equation.
>>
>> A tide predictor, on the other hand, just cranks out numerical values
>> for a Fourier series that is already known; the differential analyzer
>> solved problems where the solution was not known.
>>
>> So there is definitely a sense in which the Bush differential analyzer
>> was the first 'real' analog computer.
>
> According to wiki Lord Kelvin and his brother James Thompson published a
> description of a device that is identifiably a differential analyzer in
> 1876. Machines derived from this work were, as you said, used as tide
> predictors but also were the first computers used to direct naval
> gunfire, and were in use for that purpose in 1916.

I went to a demo of a Meccano replica of the Hartree differential
analyser. I'm in some of the videos (in a blue and white checked short!).

It's fascinating.

https://youtu.be/ngCBqduGr1Y

(actually the second part, the first is mainly a lecture).






--
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org
Analog computers [message #399909 is a reply to message #399900] Sat, 12 September 2020 06:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Niklas Karlsson is currently offline  Niklas Karlsson
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Registered: January 2012
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Senior Member
On 2020-09-12, J Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> According to wiki Lord Kelvin and his brother James Thompson published
> a description of a device that is identifiably a differential analyzer
> in 1876. Machines derived from this work were, as you said, used as
> tide predictors but also were the first computers used to direct naval
> gunfire, and were in use for that purpose in 1916.

Where do submarine torpedo data computers fit into this? They were
widely used in WWII, at the very least.

Niklas
--
} >A manual has, at least, some basis in fact,
} Erm, excuse me?
Usually, the name of the program matches the manual's title page.
-- DPM, Patrick R. Wade and Rik Steenwinkel in asr
Re: Analog computers [message #399918 is a reply to message #399909] Sat, 12 September 2020 10:02 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: J. Clarke

On 12 Sep 2020 10:39:09 GMT, Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> wrote:

> On 2020-09-12, J Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> According to wiki Lord Kelvin and his brother James Thompson published
>> a description of a device that is identifiably a differential analyzer
>> in 1876. Machines derived from this work were, as you said, used as
>> tide predictors but also were the first computers used to direct naval
>> gunfire, and were in use for that purpose in 1916.
>
> Where do submarine torpedo data computers fit into this? They were
> widely used in WWII, at the very least.

The TDC that the US Navy used would be another example. However I
believe that that development started around the same time that
Vannever Bush was demonstrating his machine, so I wasn't counting it
as prior art.
Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 [message #400208 is a reply to message #399888] Fri, 18 September 2020 15:24 Go to previous message
hancock4 is currently offline  hancock4
Messages: 6746
Registered: December 2011
Karma: 0
Senior Member
On Friday, September 11, 2020 at 6:28:25 PM UTC-4, Quadibloc wrote:
> On Friday, September 11, 2020 at 12:53:02 PM UTC-6, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
>
>> I believe Bush invented the analog computer.
>
> That depends on how you define 'analog computer', since some would dignify the
> Gunter scale and William Oughtred's invention by that name. However, the
> differential analyzer of Vannevar Bush, unlike, say, a mechanical tide predictor
> (another much earlier device sometimes called an analog computer) was very much
> a mechanical device that had the same functionality as an electronic analog
> computer: through feedback between functions, functions of those functions, adn
> integrals or differentials of those functions, it could produce an analog
> solution to a differential equation.

A company, EAI, made analog computers for many years.
Their section on bitsavers contains a ton of material
describe technology, what kinds of problems could
be solved them, and other information. Neat color
pictures in their catalogs. Better brush up on
your differential equations first!

http://bitsavers.org/pdf/eai/


Brochure with neat photos
http://bitsavers.org/pdf/eai/16-231R/EAI.231R.1961.102646219 .pdf

Sample application brief: Oxygen dynamics
http://bitsavers.org/pdf/eai/applicationsLibrary/7.4.10a_Sim ulation_of_Oxygen_Dynamics_1964.pdf
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