🚀 go-pugleaf

On 14/03/2018 19:29, Gareth's Downstairs Computer wrote:
> We certainly covered the principles in my
> electronics degree ('69 - '72), but AIUI
> there was a pre-war mechanical analogue
> computer made with the Meccano erector set.

I think this is pretty well known. Hartree and one of his students, 
Arthur Porter built a Meccano differential analyser which they used to 
solve the the Hartree-Fock equations for the Helium Atom.

The results were good, so they managed to obtain a grant to build a copy 
of Vannevar Bush's differential analyser. Bush had given Hartree access 
to all the drawings on a visit to the USA. The full six machine was 
built at Trafford Park by Metropolitain Vickers. The initial version had 
four integrators and was later expanded to six.

If you have a copy of Flash you can see a video of part of the machine 
operation at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester...

http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~chl/hartree.html

the section of the machine that was on display in Manchester is 
currently in storage. The other part is I believe still on display at 
the Science Museum in London.

The expanded machine was used to determine the structure of larger 
atoms. They also tackled a range of other problems including aero 
dynamic stability and noise in electrical transmission systems. These 
are detailed in the commissioning notes which are in the archives at MSI 
Manchester (was MOSI) and can be viewed by appointment.

Several other machines were built, both in Meccanno and as full sized 
machines

Dave