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Encyclopedia > Differential analyser

The differential analyser was a mechanical analog computer designed to solve differential equations by integration, using wheel-and-disc mechanisms to perform the integration. It was one of the first advanced computing devices to be used operationally. A page from the Bombardiers Information File (BIF) that describes the components and controls of the Norden bombsight. ... Graph of a differential equation In mathematics, a differential equation is an equation in which the derivatives of a function appear as variables. ... In calculus, the integral of a function is a generalization of area, mass, volume and total. ...


The analyser was invented in 1876 by James Thomson, brother of Lord Kelvin. A practical version was first constructed by H. W. Nieman and Vannevar Bush starting in 1927 at MIT. They published a full report on the device in 1931. D. R. Hartree of Manchester University brought the design to England, where he constructed his first model in 1934. Over the next five years three more were added, at Cambridge University, Queen's University Belfast, and the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough. Another was constructed some years later at the University of Toronto, but it appears it saw little or no use. William Thomson, Archbishop of York, has the same name as this man. ... Vannevar Bush (March 11, 1890 – June 30, 1974) was an American engineer and science administrator, known for his political role in the development of the atomic bomb, and idea of the memex—seen as a pioneering concept for the World Wide Web. ... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... Douglas Rayner Hartree (March 27, 1897 – February 12, 1958) was an English mathematician and physicist most famous for the development of numerical analysis and its application to atomic physics. ... University of Manchester Motto: Cognitio Sapientia Hvmanitas Knowledge, wisdom, humanity. ... The University of Cambridge (often called Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The Queens University of Belfast Queens University, Belfast (QUB) - or officially The Queens University of Belfast - is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The University of Toronto (U of T), in Toronto, Ontario, is the largest university in Canada by student population. ... UTEC was a computer built at the University of Toronto (UofT) in the early 1950s. ...


The differential analyser was used in the development of the bouncing bomb, used to attack German hydroelectric dams during World War II. Differential analysers have also been used in the calculation of soil erosion by river control authorities. It was eventually rendered obsolete by electronic analog computers and later digital computers. The bouncing bomb was a kind of bomb designed by Barnes Wallis of Vickers-Armstrong at Brooklands, Surrey. ... Combatants Allies: Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France/Free France, United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, Greece, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Burma, Slovakia Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, or movement in response to gravity. ... ...


More recently, building differential analysers out of Meccano has become a popular project among serious Meccano hobbyists. Meccano is a model construction kit comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, wheels and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. ...


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