Marble Computer Language
In symbols one observes an advantage in discovery which is greatest when
they express the exact nature of a thing briefly and, as it were,
picture it; then indeed the labor of thought is wonderfully diminished. - Liebniz
To build an AND gate, we need some smaller components. We also need a language to talk about the smaller components.
1. Consider a marble run component with one input track and two output tracks. If a big marble is put into the input track, it comes out on the left output track. If a small marble is put into the input track, it comes out on the left hand track.
We call this component a Separator. We use the following symbol, an inverted Y with a double hash to denote which side the big marble comes out:
|
//\
2. Consider a marble run component with one input track and one output track. The marble going into the input track comes out of the output track but is delayed.
We call this component a Delay with the symbol:
Z
3. Consider a marble run component with one input track and two output tracks. The first marble coming into the run comes out the left hand track. The second marble comes out the right hand track and the component is reset (meaning the next marble will come out the left hand track).
It has the symbol:
|
12
4. Consider a marble component with 2 inputs and 2 outputs. The left hand input matches to the left hand output. The right hand input matches to the right hand output. Marbles flow freely through the
right hand side. Marbles on the left side stop until a marble comes through on the right triggering a single marble from the left.
We call this component a Stop with the symbol:
|-
5. Consider a marble run component with 1 input and 2 outputs. Marbles flowing into the component come out of the left side until it is full. Then the marbles come out the right hand side.
We call this component a Divider:
-\
6. Consider a marble run component with 2 inputs and 1 output. Both inputs come out the single output. We call this component a Junction:
Y
7. All the previous components run on gravity. Mechanical power has to be provided to bring the marbles up. Consider a component with one input and one output. Marbles going into the component come out higher.
We call this component an Amp (amplifier):
a
To build an AND gate, we need some smaller components. We also need a language to talk about the smaller components.
1. Consider a marble run component with one input track and two output tracks. If a big marble is put into the input track, it comes out on the left output track. If a small marble is put into the input track, it comes out on the left hand track.
We call this component a Separator. We use the following symbol, an inverted Y with a double hash to denote which side the big marble comes out:
|
//\
2. Consider a marble run component with one input track and one output track. The marble going into the input track comes out of the output track but is delayed.
We call this component a Delay with the symbol:
Z
3. Consider a marble run component with one input track and two output tracks. The first marble coming into the run comes out the left hand track. The second marble comes out the right hand track and the component is reset (meaning the next marble will come out the left hand track).
It has the symbol:
|
12
right hand side. Marbles on the left side stop until a marble comes through on the right triggering a single marble from the left.
We call this component a Stop with the symbol:
|-
We call this component a Divider:
-\
Y
7. All the previous components run on gravity. Mechanical power has to be provided to bring the marbles up. Consider a component with one input and one output. Marbles going into the component come out higher.
We call this component an Amp (amplifier):
a
Comments
Post a Comment