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Real Steampunk Computer Brought Back To Life

Posted by timothy on from the malware-free dept.

New submitter engineerguy writes We discovered a 100 year old 19th century computer that does Fourier analysis with just gears spring and levers. It was locked in a glass case at the University of Illinois Department of Mathematics. We rebuilt a small part of the machine and then for two years thoroughly photographed and filmed every part part of the machine and its operation. The results of this labor of love are in the video series (short documentary), which is 22 minutes long and contains stunning footage of the machine in action — including detailed descriptions of how it operates. The photos are collected in a free book (PDF). The computer was designed by Albert Michelson, who was famous for the Michelson-Morley experiment; he was also the first American to win a Nobel Prize in physics.

6 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, fantasitc... by houstonbofh · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now OpenBSD if going to need to buy more old hardware to support builds...

  2. Re:100 Year old by ChrisSlicks · · Score: 5, Informative

    The machine was designed in the late 19th century (1897) and a working prototype was built. This particular machine was from 1914.

  3. "Computer" by vikingpower · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "Computer", actually, has the meaning: "Machine that performs computations". In that sense, this contraption truly is a computer. It probably only has a memory size of only a few bytes, in modern terms, and can only do a few FLopS also. Yet, it is a computer, in all senses of the word.

    Funny. I always thought of Michelson as of one of the two guys involved in the "failed" mirror experiments that allowed A. Einstein to come up with the theory of Special Relativity. Not so, it turns out now: the guy was an accomplished engineer. How great.

    --
    Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
    1. Re:"Computer" by calidoscope · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Michelson did a lot of work on measuring the speed of light, one of the last measurements he did involved a mile long vacuum chamber. As with many experimental physicists, he had to be an accomplished engineer as well in order to conduct his experiments.

      --
      A Shadeless room is a brighter room.
  4. Mind blown by Puff_Of_Hot_Air · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There are times when I do things that I think are pretty smart, and then I see something like this and am humbled. It staggers the imagination to envisage how this Albert fellow was able to design this incredible machine. It's marvellous to watch, and beautiful in its operation. This is how Fourier analysis should be taught! Nothing has brought it more alive for me than watching this documentary. I desperately want one; I don't think I've ever seen a machine more beautiful.

    1. Re:Mind blown by hey! · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I was in the last cadre of high school student to learn the slide rule. I did trig and math problems on a Picket N800, although later I preferred a circular Scientific Instrumentys 300B.

      The idea of building a machine to perform mechanical analog computation is not so outside the box for anyone who's ever done analog computation by hand. A repetitive series of calculations boil down to a repetitve sequence of movements, and in particular if you used a circular slide rule the idea of some kind of gear train to do the calculation woudl have been obvious.

      Which is not to say the devices weren't ingenious. But except for the abacus and the adding machine, analog contraptions were the only way to do computation other than by handwriting.

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      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.