"Basics of Analog Computers" book

From: Dwight Elvey <elvey_at_hal.com>
Date: Tue Nov 7 16:44:54 2000

"Mark Gregory" <gregorym_at_cadvision.com> wrote:
>
> Point taken on the nature of tubes, but they were primarily used in
> computers as bipolar devices, weren't they? The fact that a computer
> contains analogue devices doesn't make it an analogue computer.

Hi
 It still can be a hybrid even though parts were digital
and parts were analog. Looking at the date of the machine,
I would suspect that most of the calculating functions
were analog and not digital. It may have had digital function
for things like turning lights on and off but controlling
pitch and yaw indicators was most likely an analog function.
Looking at the pictures, I didn't see any tube portions that
looked like digital functions. Some of the panels look
vary much like the typical analog plug-in units used in
other analog computers.
 I vary much doubt that the altimeter, rpm or compass
were run from a digital source.
 I would say that to qualify as an analog computer, it
should do most of the computation in an analog manner.
I would suspect that this unit had most of its calculations
in the analog world and just a few status conditions
held in digital form.
 Then again, if I saw a digital looking computer someplace
in the pictures, I might change my mind. I didn't see anything
that looked digital, other than switches and lights.
Dwight
Received on Tue Nov 07 2000 - 16:44:54 GMT