The analog computer makes it possible to carry out calculations on differential equations in substituent a whole of variables with another whole of physical variables. The basic operation is integration.
The first calculators functioned with oil bath, the size of entry being the current one and the integrated size being the temperature (these calculators made it possible to define the orders of flight of the Harmony for example). Peripheral systems of regulation compensated for the thermal losses. Thus if we substitute the variable speed V for the variable running I and if we substitute the variable outdistances D with the variable temperature T, we can “calculate” the distance by measuring the temperature T of an oil bath heated by a current I proportional to V.
Following the invention of the operational Amplifier , integrations were carried out in the electric field, the size of entry and the integrated size being all the two electric ones.
The analog computer has the following advantages:
- to solve differential equations not having analytical solutions;
- it is hyperstable since based on a physical phenomenon;
- it provides continuous results and continuement.
- drift which had in the long run with the physical drifts of the analog computer;
- impossible for thermal or mechanical computers analog, difficult miniaturization for electric analog computers.
- the analog computer part by a numerical calculation;
- event-driven and sequential the calculator part by a traditional computer program started by an analogical event (trigger).
The stochastic calculators constituted an attempt to combine the advantages of the analog computation with the low costs of the gates working only into 0 or 1. They were cheap and carried out the multiplications very quickly (but were as delicate to program as the analog computers).
See too
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