The concept of optical computing is reintroduced with an important new twist — optical computing not as a digital machine, but as an analog engine able to serve as a hardware accelerator for existing ...

An analog computer is a system that provides information in continuous form. These computers can only represent physical quantities such as pressure, weight, voltage pressure, speed, and more.

At one time a scientist or engineer trying to solve a tough problem with electronic computation had the choice of an analog computer, a digital computer, or both together in a hybrid configuration.