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As We May Think--early computer article 1945

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  As We May Think--early computer article 1945 hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2020-09-11 11:53 -0700
    Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-09-11 15:28 -0700
      Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-09-11 20:52 -0400
        Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-09-12 09:25 +0000
        Analog computers Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> - 2020-09-12 10:39 +0000
          Re: Analog computers J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-09-12 10:02 -0400
      Re: As We May Think--early computer article 1945 hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2020-09-18 12:24 -0700

#214159 — As We May Think--early computer article 1945

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=onepage&q&f=false

(Same issue has an illustrated piece on occupation of Japan.)

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#214170

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

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#214177

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

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#214181

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

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#214183 — Analog computers

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

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#214190 — Re: Analog computers

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.

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#214385

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_Simulation_of_Oxygen_Dynamics_1964.pdf

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