The Most Powerful Computers You've Never Heard Of

Veritasium・2 minutes read

An ancient Greek artifact, the Antikythera mechanism, served as an early analog computer, representing quantities through physical movements rather than symbols, operating with continuous inputs and outputs. Despite advancements in digital technology driven by Moore's Law and machine learning, analog computers like Kelvin's tide predicting machines played a crucial role in history, revolutionizing tide prediction and aiding military operations during World War II.

Insights

  • The Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek artifact, was an early analog computer made of interlocking gears that modeled the motions of the sun and moon, operating based on physical movements rather than symbols.
  • Lord Kelvin's analog computers, like the harmonic analyzer and tide predicting machines, revolutionized tide prediction and played a crucial role in World War II, aiding in planning military operations and improving accuracy, showcasing the historical significance and power of analog computing technologies.

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Recent questions

  • What is an analog computer?

    A device representing quantities through physical movements.

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Summary

00:00

Ancient analog computers revolutionize tide prediction

  • In 1901, an ancient Greek artifact with 37 interlocking bronze gears was discovered on the island of Antikythera, functioning as an early analog computer to model the motions of the sun and moon.
  • The Antikythera mechanism, constructed around 100 or 200 BC, was an analog computer that worked by analogy, representing quantities through physical movements rather than symbols.
  • Analog computers, like the Antikythera mechanism, operate with continuous inputs and outputs, while digital computers, like modern ones, work with discrete values represented by symbols.
  • Analog devices, such as the Antikythera mechanism, were used alongside digital devices like abacuses for thousands of years, with analog computers being the most powerful until the 1960s.
  • Moore's Law, which is reaching its limit due to transistor size constraints, and advancements in machine learning are driving the potential resurgence of analog computers.
  • Predicting tides has been a significant challenge throughout history, with Pierre-Simon Laplace identifying key astronomical frequencies driving tides in the late 1700s.
  • Lord Kelvin, in the 1860s, developed a method to predict tides by combining sine waves of specific frequencies, requiring complex computations to determine coefficients for accurate predictions.
  • Kelvin's analog computers, including the harmonic analyzer and tide predicting machines, revolutionized tide prediction, automating the process and enabling accurate forecasts.
  • Analog computers, like Kelvin's, were crucial during World War II, aiding in planning the Allied invasion on D-Day and improving anti-aircraft gun accuracy.
  • The development of analog computers, like the M9 Gun Director, using operational amplifiers, significantly enhanced military operations during World War II, reducing the number of rounds needed to take down enemy aircraft.

14:53

"The Rise and Fall of Norden Bombsight"

  • The Norden bombsight, created by Carl Norden, was a highly secretive technology during the war, utilizing 64 algorithms for precision bombing, including compensating for the earth's rotation. American bombardiers were equipped with handguns to destroy it in case of a crash, but the device's complexity led to inaccuracies in computations, rendering it ineffective in practice.
  • The failure of the Norden bombsight led to the abandonment of precision bombing in favor of napalm attacks on Japanese cities during the war. The rise of digital computers, exemplified by the ENIAC machine, marked a shift towards more accurate and versatile computing capabilities.
  • Claude Shannon's discovery of Boolean algebra in 1936 paved the way for digital computers, which operate on ones and zeros, providing exact answers and being resilient to noise. This contrasted with analog computers, which are limited to specific problems and prone to errors.
  • Despite the dominance of digital technology today, there is a resurgence of interest in analog computers, with startups exploring their potential benefits. The practical advantages of digital devices, including exact results and noise resilience, have solidified their status as universal computing machines.
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