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Analog Computers
Telefunken RAT 700/2 analog computer
German electronics firm Telefunken ventured into analog computers in the 1950s. Its RAT 700 started a popular line of transistorized table-top analog computers.
View Artifact DetailAnalog and Digital: Different Ways to Measure and Model the World
Our world is a symphony of infinite variations. Long before digital computers existed, engineers built models to simulate those real world nuances.
Analog computers continued this tradition, using mechanical motion or the flow of electricity to model problems and generate answers quickly. They remained the preferred tool until digital computers, based on electronic switches, became fast enough for software to do the same job.