Ball-and-disk integrator
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The ball-and-disk integrator is a key component of many advanced mechanical computers. Through simple mechanical means, it performs continual integration of the value of an input. Typical uses were the measurement of area or volume of material in industrial settings, range-keeping systems on ships, and tachometric bombsights. The addition of the torque amplifier by Vannevar Bush led to the differential analysers of the 1930s and 1940s.
A number of ball-and-disk integrators were used on Lord Kelvin's tidal calculators. The cylindrical output shaft, ball and input disk are clearly visible. The ratio is changed by moving the balls to the left or right along the rack, seen at the top.
James Thomson (engineer)
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James Thomson FRS FRSE LLD was a British engineer and physicist, born in Belfast, and older brother of William Thomson.
The grave of the Thomson family, Glasgow Necropolis