Re: The joy of Technology

On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 20:20:00 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

I came across a book describing how you can set up cams and linkages to
perform various mathematical functions.  Fascinating in a "lost art"
sort of way...

Not a “lost art” at all. What you have (re)discovered is the concept of
the “analog computer”, which solves physical problems by using certain
physical quantities (e.g. the position of a wheel or lever, or a voltage
at a terminal) as “analogues” of physical variables in the actual system
to be solved.

See also <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Machine>.