Unconventional computing: Difference between revisions

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{{main|Mechanical computer}}

[[File:De-Te-We-mp3h0651.jpg|thumb|Hamann Manus R, a digital mechanical computercalculator]]

Historically, [[mechanical computer]]s were used in industry before the advent of the [[transistor]].

Mechanical computers retain some interest today, both in research and as analogue computers. Some mechanical computers have a theoretical or didactic relevance, such as [[billiard-ball computer]]s, while hydraulic ones like the [[MONIAC]] or the [[Water integrator]] were used effectively.<ref name=pen-empnew>[[Roger Penrose|Penrose, Roger]]: The Emperor's New Mind. Oxford University Press, 1990. See also corresponding [[The Emperor's New Mind|article on it]].</ref>

While some are actually simulated, others are not.{{clarify|vacuous|date=December 2016}} No attempt is made{{dubious|date=December 2016}} to build a functioning computer through the mechanical collisions of billiard balls. The [[domino computer]] is another theoretically interesting mechanical computing scheme.{{why|date=December 2016}}

===Analog computing===