The Analog Computer as a Teaching Aid in Diffential Equations

(*) Manuscrit re,u Ie lor octobre 1960. (**) Douglas Aircraft Co., Inc., EI Segundo, California (U.S.A.). The first-named author is also Professor of Mathematics at Pepperdine College, Los Angeles. California. tial factors may be demonstrated. Later the students are shown how to apply the principles they have learned to more complex systems. The spring-mass system can be seen in Fig. 2. The upper mass is 200 g, the lower mass is 70 g, the upper spring constant is 74 g/cm, the center spring constant is 58 g/cm, and the lower spring constant is 26 g/cm. These constants produce some interesting motion but, of course, may be changed to suit the material that is avai!laible. Oscillation of the system is produced by displacing the lower mass a distance of 2 em. This is done several times to give the students a picture of the displacements of the masses and some idea df the coupling that e:lCists.