Babbage Analytical Engine (School Kids)

Babbage Analytical Engine was a mechanical calculator created by Charles Babbage. This is one unit of the engine to simulate addition of two values.

There are two gears and a third simulating gear.

The left gear represents the sum and the right gear represents the value to be added.

When the left gear is set with a value of 2 and the right gear is turned by 3 teeth, then the left gear shows a value of 5(2+3).

PS: This same mechanism can be used to demonstrate the usage of nervous system in which each neuron sends a signal to the adjacent neuron and then it follows through and so on.

3 HB Pencil.

3 circular cardboard pieces with radius of 5cm, 5cm and 9 cm.

Scissors, glue, rubber-band, white paper, sketch-pen, cardboard-box with a depth of around 5-7 cm and a height and width of 30cm by 25cm, clay (optional).

1. Mark each gear with a circle of 4cm (for 5cm circles) and 8cm for (9cm circle).

2. Create multiple diameters for each circle with the same center.

3. For the 5cm circle, create diameter at 18 (=360/(10*2)) degree each.

4. For the 9cm circle, create diameter at 10 (=360/(18*2))degree each.

5. Taking the new inner circle as base, create outward teeth from each alternative pair of points on this circle.

6. For each teeth, take the two adjacent points. Mark each teeth as starting from these two points and ending outward on the outer circle with smaller length as shown in the figure.

7. Do this for each circle.

1. Create a mark on the base cardboard box with a sharpened pencil.

2. Create a mark in the center but towards the lower edge.

3. Mark another center exactly 14cm (=5cm + 9cm) from this point.

4. Repeat Step 3 in the opposite direction.

5. Adjust the points so that they fit on the same plane.

6. Make each hole in depth such that the opposite side of the box is also pierced.

7. Poke hole in the center of each circle with a compass and enlarge it with pencil.

8. Fit pencil around halfway through into the gears and glue it in place.

9. Now, the three gears should fit into the wholes and the teeth should align proper.

1. Cut a piece of paper with length 16cm by 4cm.

2. Cut this piece into two parts.

3. For each addition gear (5cm radii), make a loop and cut out two stands as shown in figure for each loop.

4. Paste the loops onto the gears and with respect to each tooth, mark a number from left to right starting from 0.

5. Apply rubber-band below each pencil holder (all three) and place them equidistantly from the center of the pencil.

1. Place the gears in place on the base. Adjust if required with clay to fix the gears vertically.

2. The numbers 0 should show in front.

3. Place the first gear with 2 in front and the second with 0 in front.

4. Rotate the rightmost gear by 2 teeth.

5. Note, the leftmost gear is now added to 2+2=4.