Differential Analyser - Use of Meccano

Use of Meccano

The model differential analyser built at Manchester University in 1934 by Douglas Hartree and Arthur Porter made extensive use of Meccano parts: this meant that the machine was cheaper to build, and it proved "accurate enough for the solution of many scientific problems". A similar machine built by J.B. Bratt at Cambridge University in 1935 is now in the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) collection in Auckland, New Zealand. A memorandum written for the British military's Armament Research Department in 1944 describes how this machine had been modified during World War II for improved reliability and enhanced capability, and identifies its wartime applications as including research on the flow of heat, explosive detonations, and simulations of transmission lines. In 1948, this machine was bought by Professor Harry Whale of Auckland, for 100 pounds sterling, and he then took it to Auckland for use at the Seagrave Radio Research Centre.

It is estimated that "about 15 Meccano model Differential Analysers were built for serious work by scientists and researchers around the world". More recently, building differential analysers with Meccano parts has become a popular project among serious Meccano hobbyists. An example is the differential analyser built at Marshall University, which is now used for educational purposes, in that a student not only solves a differential equation but also becomes the "calculator" by operating the machine, and so develops a better understanding of what a differential equation is.