Xref: utzoo comp.arch:23268 comp.misc:12910 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!ria!uwovax.uwo.ca!brent From: brent@uwovax.uwo.ca (Brent Sterner) Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.misc Subject: Re: Pneumatic computers (tennis ball powered) Message-ID: <1991Jun14.154455.9409@uwovax.uwo.ca> Date: 14 Jun 91 20:44:54 GMT References: <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org> <_1KBHZB@xds13.ferranti.com> <1991Jun7.202331.19282@cbfsb.att.com> <959@snap.mrcu> Organization: CCS, U. of Western Ontario Lines: 19 In article <959@snap.mrcu>, paj@mrcu (Paul Johnson) writes: > If you are ever in Paris, visit the Musee' Cite' (or something like > that). It is the Paris museum of science and technology. One of the > exhibits is this truly amazing 4 bit adder constructed of tubes and > siphons with water feeding through them under gravity. You punch in > two 4 bit numbers on a control panel and hit the GO button. Valves > open and close at the top, the whole thing bubbles and gurgles for > about 30 seconds, and tubes shaped as 1's and 0's fill up at the > bottom with the Answer (not 42). That posting rang a bell! But I don't remember where. I've seen a similar demo using (as I recall) tennis balls. (Not quite pneumatic; perhaps a bit closer to quantum mechanics. ;-) b. -- Brent Sterner Manager, Academic Technical Support Fast: <129.100.2.13> Telephone (519)661-2151 x6036 Slow: Computing & Communications Services, Natural Sciences Building The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7