14 Feb
2008
14 Feb
'08
10:59 p.m.
Brent Hilpert wrote:
A slight variation on the OP's original
proposal/spec, but a fun project would
be to re-design/implement Babbage's analytical engine using relays. This is
something that could have been accomplished in 1900 - both the technology and
the concept existed - if only somebody had put 2+2 together at the time (pun intended).
Why not just buy some Mechanno and join the rest of the crowd.
(Sorry no link)
It's interesting to speculate that if Babbage had
been born or been working
just a couple of decades later than when he was, or alternatively if electrical
concepts had been just slightly more advanced in his time, he would have
throught of implementing his ideas with electric relays and would likely have
succeeded (although one might argue the same about the state of mechanical technology).
Well some mechanical implication of Babbage's work has been constructed
but seems mechanical problems rather logic ones was the main problem
in constructing the device.
.