analog computing
Non-discrete data processing
Analog computing uses continuously variable physical quantities—voltage, fluid pressure, mechanical rotation—to model and solve problems, rather than the discrete digits of digital computing.
An analog computer might simulate airflow over a wing by routing electrical current through circuits that behave like air.
The approach dominated scientific and engineering calculation through the mid-20th century before digital machines largely replaced it, though analog methods persist in specialized applications where continuous signals matter.
- slide rulesManual logarithmic calculators
- vacuum tubesElectron-controlling glass cylinders
- resistorsCurrent-limiting circuit components
- weather modelingPredicting climate mathematically
- inductorsComponents storing magnetic energy
signal processing · capacitors · fire control systems · flight simulators · control systems · diodes · transistors · potentiometers · waveforms · differential equations · real-time simulation · feedback loops · oscillators · integrators · circuit design · audio processing · image processing · vinyl records
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