IC Op - Amps Through the Ages 1 . 0

The operational amplifier concept emerged from extensive development of electronic analog computers in the 1940s. Operational amplifiers get their name from their ability to perform mathematical operations such as summation, integration and differentiation. With the addition of logarithmic amplifiers and feedback, one may perform multiplication and division as well. These abilities allow op-amp circuits to simulate differential equations, such as those describing the trajectory of an aircraft, for example. Countless analog computers were used throughout the second world war to produce “smarter” weapons capable of predicting where a target would be some time in the future, to determine the optimal firing conditions to ensure with high probability that a shell would intercept it then. The ability to “program” an analog computer rapidly by changing amplifier gains and connectivity made it an indispensable tool for both weaponry and academic research. Mechanical analog computers had preceded electronic ones, and changing gears and linkages made reprogramming a cumbersome affair.