Zeke Weeks

Zeke Weeks

Web Developer & Consultant


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  • ContactMy preferred methods of interaction with the general public are through my Twitter or Google+ accounts. I love talking with folks in the tech community, brainstorming, debating, the works, and that’s where the conversation is richest. My instant messaging (Google Talk/AIM/MSN/Skype) and email addresses are made available on a need-to-know basis, and may be requested through the above public channels. At home, I’m in the Mountain Time Zone, and observe Daylight Savings Time. (Click here to see the local time.) If you need to reach me privately, you can do so through this form, which goes directly to my personal email account. Please respectfully consider that this form often contacts me while I’m with loved ones or getting some R & R; I cannot guarantee a response to every message.


Calculating with K’NEX

Found something really weird today… a 10-foot tall calculator…. made entirely out of K’NEX.

No digital display. No abacus. Just K’NEX:

K'NEX Computer

The thing works by dropping nine balls into the top of the unit. Four balls for the first number (that’s binary allowing up to the number 15), one ball for the operation (add or subtract) and four balls for the last number. The balls then drop through a series of tracks and logical gates to calculate a final answer.

The most interesting part is how they duplicate the logical gates by controlling how the balls flow. A normal logical gate, say an AND gate, only will produce output when both inputs are true. So they figured out a way to make a physical AND gate drop the ball only when two balls are input to the gate. This is how they got a completely mechanical, non-electrical unit to do such calculations. Yes, this is how we did it ages ago, and really how we learned to do what we know as computing today.

But for a hopeless geek like me, this is crazy cool.

July 1, 2007
Technophilia

2 responses to “Calculating with K’NEX”

  1. Alan says:
    July 1, 2007 at 8:01 pm

    That’s quite possibly one of the best things I’ve ever seen…

  2. Jared Ellis says:
    July 2, 2007 at 2:23 pm

    What do make of K’NEX computer? I want to know how like to real computer with number in K’NEX.

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