4 ms·
And fascinating too that, unlike digital computers where operations take clock cycles, calculations in an analog computer are effectively instantaneous.
by andrewstuart2 2y ago
And fascinating too that, unlike digital computers where operations take clock cycles, calculations in an analog computer are effectively instantaneous.
- bluGill 2y agoBacklash means there is delay in analog computers that is generally worse than in digital. However the calculations you perform on analog computers are generally much simpler and so you don't notice the lag. edit: I should point out that some calculations that are trivial on analog computers and difficult on digital and so analog may have less lag on some specific calculations. However in general it is safe to say digital is faster overall even though in the real world you will find many examples where analog is faster.
- pragma_x 2y agoIt's better than that. As an analog computer, both the inputs and outputs are _continuous_. So it's possible to get down to very small deltas that are only limited by the internal precision of the system itself, and the precision of measuring those inputs and outputs. At the same time, precision is dictated by machining tolerances for the instruments in the calculation chain, as well as any mechanical forces in play at the time. Even the temperature of parts can change the dimensions of parts which can introduce error. And then there's the accumulation of error across a deep enough mechanical "pipeline". What really gets me is how there is this tradeoff between analog and digital computers. Digital systems don't have precision errors from miss-shaped parts, but instead opt for errors in quantization (digitization) instead.
- schiffern 2y agoThe neat part is that it's almost instantaneous, but not quite. How electricity flows through analog circuits and chooses the right path is another fascinating subject. Seeing how it actually works "in action" seems to glimpse some insights into ultra-fast computing paradigms: not just computing with analog circuits, but also structuring computation like circuits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AXv49dDQJw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AXv49dDQJw
- pjc50 2y agoNot instantaneous on any scale a digital system would regard as important. You can't turn a shaft very far in a nanosecond, and you are in general limited by the inertia of the mechanical system as well as quantities such as bearing overheating, lubricant viscosity, the maximum force that can be applied through any particular component, and so on.