A computer that processes analog data is known as an analog computer. Analog computers store information in physical quantities in a continuous format and use measurements to perform computation.
At one time a scientist or engineer trying to solve a tough problem with electronic computation had the choice of an analog computer, a digital computer, or both together in a hybrid configuration.
Editor’s Note: This article came about from another article called “Circuits without wires” in which a comment by Arthur Glazar led to my discovery of this gem of an article, thanks to my colleague ...
In my last column, I showed you how to build an analog computer that simulates the motion of a car over its wheel when stimulated by a "bump" (electronic design, March 31, p. 20). Could these systems ...
Analog computers have been used extensively in the past, for things like tide calculations, but in the semiconductor era things have mostly gone digital. Even where you have analog elements, like DRAM ...