A MECHANICAL ANALOGUE COMPUTER

The Bush Differential Analyser. This machine was the forerunner of the electronic analogue computer. The first engineering model was constructed in 1931 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr Hartree first tried out at Manchester a small scale model, largely made of Meccano parts, and was surprised at the accuracy obtained. Dr Bush's machine was eventually fitted with a number of electronic controls, and so foreshadowed present day electronic analogue computers.