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Meccano Analogue Computer Kent Academic Repository Full text document (pdf) Citation for published version Ritchie, Thomas (2019) Object Identity: Deconstructing the 'Hartree Differential Analyser' and Reconstructing a Meccano Analogue Computer. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. DOI Link to record in KAR https://kar.kent.ac.uk/80652/ Document Version UNSPECIFIED Copyright & reuse Content in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated all content is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of research The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record. Enquiries For any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: [email protected] If you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.html Object Identity: Deconstructing the ‘Hartree Differential Analyser’ and Reconstructing a Meccano Analogue Computer Presented to the School of History at the University of Kent, in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Thomas Alexander William Ritchie [email protected] Word count: 85,358 i It wasn’t work, it was play! - Arthur Porter ii Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................. i List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... iv Abstract ........................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction: Hartree, Computers, and Meccano .............................................................. 3 1. Hornby and Meccano ........................................................................................................................ 11 2. Toys, Play, and Science ..................................................................................................................... 16 3. The ‘Hartree Differential Analyser’ as an Analogue Computer ........................................................ 25 4. Museums, Object Identities, and Assemblages ................................................................................ 30 5. Public and Oral History...................................................................................................................... 39 6. Primary Sources ................................................................................................................................ 44 7. Thesis outline .................................................................................................................................... 49 Chapter One – Meccano and the Meccano Magazine, 1901-1939: From a ‘Boy’s Toy’ to an ‘Aspirational Emblem of Fan-Participation’ ..................................................................... 55 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 55 2. Context .............................................................................................................................................. 58 3. From ‘Mechanics Made Easy’ to ‘Meccano’: The Boys’ Toy ............................................................. 64 4. The Meccano Magazine and Meccano: A Training Tool for Would-Be Engineers............................ 77 5. Ellison Hawks and the ‘Eminent Engineers’: Raising the Aspirations of the Meccano Boys ............ 90 6. The Meccano Challenge!: From Aspiration and Expertise to Nationalism and British Engineering ............................................................................................................................................................ 102 7. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 111 Chapter Two – Meccano, Mathematics, and Accuracy before the Second World War: The ‘Nuts and Bolts’ realities of the Differential Analyser .................................................... 112 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 112 2. Context ............................................................................................................................................ 116 3. Accuracy .......................................................................................................................................... 122 4. The Conceptual Model .................................................................................................................... 130 5.1. The Physical Model: The Input Table ........................................................................................... 137 5.2. The Integrating Unit and Torque Amplifier .................................................................................. 147 5.3. The Output Table ......................................................................................................................... 153 6. The ‘Mechanical Marvel’ ................................................................................................................. 157 7. Conclusion: Circles and Changing Contexts .................................................................................... 165 Chapter Three – Objects, Uses, and Contexts: The Applications of British Differential Analysers before, during, and after the Second World War ........................................... 168 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 168 i 2. Primary Differential Analysers in Britain ......................................................................................... 171 2.1. Manchester machine ................................................................................................................... 173 2.2. Cambridge Meccano model ......................................................................................................... 187 2.3. Cambridge machine ..................................................................................................................... 193 3. Secondary Differential Analysers .................................................................................................... 197 4. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 206 Chapter Four – Ventriloquised Voices: The Science Museum and the Trainbox .............. 210 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 210 2. The Trainbox ................................................................................................................................... 213 3. Ventriloquism, Museums, and Objects ........................................................................................... 214 4. The ‘Working Model’: Calvert’s Classification ................................................................................ 220 5. The Mathematics and Computers gallery and the National Physical Laboratory ........................... 227 6. Universal Language and the new ‘Working Model’ ........................................................................ 232 7. Conclusion: The Trainbox Today ..................................................................................................... 239 Chapter Five – Meccano since the Second World War: From ‘Mainstream’ Meccano boys to ‘Alternative’ Meccanomen ....................................................................................... 243 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 243 2. Meccano from the War to ’64......................................................................................................... 248 3. Plastic Meccano and ‘Obsolete Literature’: 1964-1971 .................................................................. 255 4. A ‘Peaceful Co-existence’: 1971-1981 ............................................................................................ 274 5. Reflexive Nostalgia and Diverging Versions: 1981-2018................................................................. 284 6. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 290 Chapter Six – The Public History of the Meccanomen: Perspectives on the ‘Golden Ages’ and British Decline ....................................................................................................... 293 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 293 2. ‘Golden Age’ and
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