31-digit (not bit) computation of a 7th-order polynomial in four clock cycles p
Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)
Posts: 23,514
Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)
Posts: 23,514
Comments
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Style and grace : Nil point
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/computing_and_data_processing/1878-3.aspx
Leon
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Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Post Edited (Leon) : 12/11/2009 11:58:03 AM GMT
why oh why are we so fantastic
The explanation was also really nicely done, great to see the guy given time to explain it at least to some degree rather than chopped up and edited to death.
Graham
Right. Ask a Brit who invented X and he will say a Brit did. Ask a Frenchman, and he will say French. Ask an American and guess what.
If you ask an archeologist who invented "everything", there's a good chance she'll tell you the Chinese did. The only thing they never invented was good government, I think, and so a whole heap of their past accomplishments has ended up in the dust.
I don't know where it is... but if you look around for it, I'm sure you'll find it. There is an Italian paper from that period... which is available as translated source material. In that paper Babbage's math is explained... and if the paper is correct, then in the original math, Babbage made an error. Possibly he didn't finish the machine, because he didn't know exactly what he was doing. It is very possible that Ada Lovelace is the one who found Babbage's mistake... and basically covered it up. The differences between the math as presented in the paper and the final incarnation of the machine are very subtle but very important.
Fascinating period...
For new people to the forum... I have posted a prime number generator that could be made into a Babbage type mechanical device. I'm sure the history department at Parallax can point you to it... I lost the link a long time ago and can't find the code[noparse]:)[/noparse]
Rich
What caught my eye at 1:52 is the cam stack. If the whole idea was to eliminate human error, well.... who machined those cams? And to what tolerances? And how well aligned are they? And how well do they wear and... and... and...
Ah, that old demon Error.... ((sigh)) can't live with him.... can't live without him.
I wonder how well the thing works in reality.
I don't think the cams need to be especially accurate as they are not performing analogue computing, they could probably be stepped but that would sound and look awful.
Interesting you mention tolerances etc, another British invention I think [noparse]:)[/noparse]
Graham
-Phil
How many cogs did it use again?
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For me, the past is not over yet.
"Right. Ask a Brit who invented X and he will say a Brit did. Ask a Frenchman, and he will say French. Ask an American and guess what.
If you ask an archeologist who invented "everything", there's a good chance she'll tell you the Chinese did. The only thing they never invented was good government, I think, and so a whole heap of their past accomplishments has ended up in the dust."
I guess yo aint European.
I am English not a Brit (a dirty word nowadays)
The Scots had James Clerk Maxwell, who I admit was a giant
I live in France, and love them for their character, and would never doubt their cooking.
The Chinese invented Gunpowder, for sure.
The Americans invented Coca Cola, McDonalds, and KFC, and the H bomb.
also, the English invented humour,
just joking in all of this. I just love winding people up
Mike
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDshWmhF4A
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For me, the past is not over yet.