[Ads-l] analog(ue) computer

Shapiro, Fred fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU
Thu Feb 4 02:41:34 UTC 2016


The OED has a 1945 citation for "analogue computer."

Fred Shapiro



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From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of James A. Landau [JJJRLandau at netscape.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2016 11:42 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: analog(ue) computer

Google Books gives a 1948 citation for "analog computer"

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__books.google.com_books-3Fid-3D1p1GAQAAMAAJ-26pg-3DRA2-2DPA53-26dq-3Danalog-2Bcomputer-26hl-3Den-26sa-3DX-26ved-3D0ahUKEwi31-5Ff8-5F9vKAhXHVz4KHdF2ACQ4ChDoAQguMAI-23v-3Donepage-26q-3Danalog-2520computer-26f-3Dfalse&d=AwIBaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=sRkhHMQo6W5Ird1lkQFqb23bCfSHAR2XjUSUG53db5M&m=7WoSR4aMk7tAO7WG0vQEFJ5g7WXrn2-qijRYfPiIYwE&s=KX0Z9IeXil75TzNRNidm93BJMI0N2YzQwvKQd9rkyEk&e=

Annual Report to the Board of Trustees 1946-1947
California Institute of Technology
January 1948
pages 53, 54, and 68

Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate agrees with the 1948 date.

The phrase "analog computer" probably antedates January 1948, but maybe not by much.  Analog computers have a long history, going back to the Antikythera Machine, but usually they were referred to by their specific function such as "Differential Analyzer".

As for "analogue computer" we have

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__books.google.com_books-3Fid-3DP-5FrxAAAAMAAJ-26q-3Danalogue-2Bcomputer-26dq-3Danalogue-2Bcomputer-26hl-3Den-26sa-3DX-26ved-3D0ahUKEwjam664g9zKAhUC2D4KHcwhBiM4ChDoAQguMAA&d=AwIBaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=sRkhHMQo6W5Ird1lkQFqb23bCfSHAR2XjUSUG53db5M&m=7WoSR4aMk7tAO7WG0vQEFJ5g7WXrn2-qijRYfPiIYwE&s=UOsEUdP7NfrbLbuNq4vhzCyqwRkXkTYLlf1IhWShDcI&e=

citing a paper read March 8, 1949, on "An analogue computer for the solution of linear simultaneous equations"

There is also

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__books.google.com_books-3Fid-3Drl4EAAAAYAAJ-26q-3Danalogue-2Bcomputer-26dq-3Danalogue-2Bcomputer-26hl-3Den-26sa-3DX-26ved-3D0ahUKEwiP1vWHhNzKAhVDVj4KHc61DiMQ6AEITDAI&d=AwIBaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=sRkhHMQo6W5Ird1lkQFqb23bCfSHAR2XjUSUG53db5M&m=7WoSR4aMk7tAO7WG0vQEFJ5g7WXrn2-qijRYfPiIYwE&s=LFZaFggZzPMOG1SNqQqWYAzZMkPG6TYVcYZH-pF6FCY&e=

from Astounding Science Fiction, 1949 "the analogue type of computer".  It is interesting to note that a decade later Astounding changed its name to "Analog" without the "ue".

- Jim Landau (who last used an analog computer as a junior in college)


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