HackerTube / Video
Mechanical Computer (All Parts) - Basic Mechanisms In Fire Control Computers
Excelsior10000
A 1953 US Navy training film explaining the basic mechanisms in mechanical fire control computers aboard ships. It shows how gears, differentials and cams solved mathematical problems in permanent mechanical form.
HN commenters repeatedly recommend it as a beautiful, approachable explanation of analog mechanical computation, and many have rewatched it.
20 Hacker News mentions · 2014–2025