Analog Computing Component - Integrator (Five-Inch Disc)
Object Details
- Ford Instrument Company
- Description
- Instruments for finding the area bounded by curved lines (integrators) date from the nineteenth century. This twentieth century example is based on a mechanism invented by British engineer James Thomson and used by his brother William (later Lord Kelvin) in constructing the first harmonic analyzer in 1876. The object shows modifications and refinements made by the American inventor Hannibal Ford to assure high accuracy and durability. It has two stacked balls, held by stiff springs, between a disk and cylinder, each made of hard steel. The balls are held in place by pairs of small rollers in a carriage. This design permitted the carriage to move even when the disk was not moving, a feature that is necessary when integrating with respect to a variable other than time. From about 1915 into the 1940s, Ford's integrators were used by the U. S. Navy in devices for aiming guns on ships.
- Reference:
- A. Ben Clymer, "The Mechanical Analog Computers of Hannibal Ford and William Newell," Annals of the History of Computing, 15, #2, 1993, 19-34.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Gift of Ford Instrument Company Division of Sperry Rand Univac
- 1918-1955
- ID Number
- 1982.0751.06
- catalog number
- 1982.0751.06
- accession number
- 1982.0751
- Object Name
- analog computing component
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 10.2 cm x 5.1 cm x 18.2 cm; 4 1/32 in x 2 in x 7 5/32 in
- place made
- United States: New York, Queens, Long Island City
- See more items in
- Medicine and Science: Mathematics
- Mechanical Integrators and Analyzers
- National Museum of American History
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Record ID
- nmah_690606
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746aa-53e3-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
Related Content
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.