In the 20th century Alan Turing designed the first truly general purpose computer: The Turing Machine. Charles Babbage ( 1791-1871 ) created his working difference engine and Blaise Pascal ( 1623-1662 ) created the the first desktop calculator. Can it get more mind-blowing than that? I think so.
The Antikythera mechanism is an astronomical computer thought to have been built in 150BC. It was rediscovered on the Antikythera shipwreck in 1900 and has since astounded researchers by its mechanical complexity. It's the oldest known computer, a relic dating back 2000 years and rediscovered at the bottom of the ocean.
Watch this two part 20 min mini-documentary.
Notes on Blackbody radiation
2 years ago
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