LEGO DIFFERENCE ENGINE -- You could be forgiven for
thinking this Rube Goldberg device looks a bit of a mess, because it does. But
it’s a mess that can evaluate second-order polynomial equations to three digits
of precision, so unless you’re a real math whiz, that probably makes it a mess
that’s smarter than you. Known as a “difference engine,” it’s based on plans
concocted by 19th century mathematician and engineer Charles Babbage, who ...
more LEGO DIFFERENCE ENGINE -- You could be forgiven for
thinking this Rube Goldberg device looks a bit of a mess, because it does. But
it’s a mess that can evaluate second-order polynomial equations to three digits
of precision, so unless you’re a real math whiz, that probably makes it a mess
that’s smarter than you. Known as a “difference engine,” it’s based on plans
concocted by 19th century mathematician and engineer Charles Babbage, who died
before he could build one of his own. If only he’d had some Lego.
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