Math Is Fun Forum

George,Y

Member

Registered: 2006-03-12

Posts: 1,379

Marble Adding Machine

Click and see it yourself

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X'(y-Xβ)=0

mathsyperson

Moderator

Registered: 2005-06-22

Posts: 4,900

Re: Marble Adding Machine

That is a most brilliant machine. I want one.

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It wanted to be normal.

Ricky

Moderator

Registered: 2005-12-04

Posts: 3,791

Re: Marble Adding Machine

Turn it upside down and you get subtraction!

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"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

JaneFairfax

Member

Registered: 2007-02-23

Posts: 6,868

Re: Marble Adding Machine

It’s a binary adding machine. You need to convert between binary and base-10 yourself. But it’s really neat – the design is really simple and elegant.

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: Marble Adding Machine

And proves that computers are not inherently electronic devices.

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

mikau

Member

Registered: 2005-08-22

Posts: 1,504

Re: Marble Adding Machine

sweet little device!

its neat the way a lot of abstract calculations can be computed by geometric or mechanical means. Such as, adding vectors by drawing lines, or building this machine to do binary addition.

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A logarithm is just a misspelled algorithm.

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: Marble Adding Machine

Or processing images with a lens!

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

John E. Franklin

Member

Registered: 2005-08-29

Posts: 3,588

Re: Marble Adding Machine

I love it!  Just saw it on YouTube!  Guess I wasn't paying attention 3 weeks ago.
Reminds me of my Logic Circuits course in 1987 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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igloo myrtilles fourmis

Mathskido

Member

Registered: 2007-07-20

Posts: 18

Re: Marble Adding Machine

(Quote of Andy Pipkin from Little Britain) I want that one!

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mpthomas

Member

Registered: 2007-07-27

Posts: 7

Re: Marble Adding Machine

Wouldn't let me get to it from work...

Math_Girl

Member

Registered: 2007-07-27

Posts: 23

Re: Marble Adding Machine

I like that marble adding machine

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"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% determination"

Kargoneth

Member

Registered: 2007-08-11

Posts: 33

Re: Marble Adding Machine

http://knexcomputer.blogspot.com/

This analog computer built from K'nex puts that wooden one to shame... addition and subtraction...

With modifications, it would probably be possible to do multiplication as well.

It is unfortunate that it is so large.

Last edited by Kargoneth (2007-08-19 10:32:16)

Identity

Member

Registered: 2007-04-18

Posts: 934

Re: Marble Adding Machine

I don't get why you people love this machine so much... it's unwieldy and can only perform calculations up to a certain degree. My calculator could do what it does much better.

mikau

Member

Registered: 2005-08-22

Posts: 1,504

Re: Marble Adding Machine

but your calculator isn't fun to watch!

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A logarithm is just a misspelled algorithm.

luca-deltodesco

Member

Registered: 2006-05-05

Posts: 1,470

Re: Marble Adding Machine

i do like the knex one ^^

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