Skip to content
Hallway
0:00 / 0:00

#moniac#analogcomputer#billphillips

Making Money Flow: The MONIAC

Reserve Bank of New Zealand

7.7K subscribers • 1 video on Hallway

YouTube
  • Recommended by 1 person: 1 on Hacker News.

Beginner. No background in the topic needed.

120K views9 years ago1 recommendation

HardwareHistory and cultureRetro computingComputation and complexity

This video demonstrates the MONIAC, a 1949 hydro-mechanical analog computer designed to model economic flows using water.

Introducing Bill Phillips' amazing hydro-mechanical economic computer. A live demonstration of the only working MONIAC in the Southern Hemisphere. This is located in the Reserve Bank Museum & Education Centre, Wellington, New Zealand. Directions to the Museum: rbnzmuseum.govt.nz/visitus/FindUs.aspx To try a virtual MONIAC, visit rbnzmuseum.govt.nz/activities/moniac/introduction.aspx For directions and Museum hours see rbnzmuseum.govt.nz/visitus/FindUs.aspx

Why it's here

1 person recommends this

What people say. Recommended as a fascinating historical example of an analog computer using liquid to model complex systems.

pseudoluson Hacker News • Recommends

On “Physicists are building neural networks out of vibrations, voltages and lasers”

I believe one of the earliest applications incorporating this line of thought was MONIAC, the Monetary National Income Analogue Computer, which used water levels to model the economy 0. There's a short youtube documentary on its history and operation. 1 0 link 1 link to this video link to this video (shows operation of MONIAC)
View on Hacker News

basicplus2on Hacker News • Mentions

On “The Vintage Beauty of Soviet Control Rooms (2018)”

And of course its always worth mentioning the MONIAC.. (Monetary National Income Analogue Computer) also known as the Phillips Hydraulic Computer link link to this video
View on Hacker News

copperwater69on Hacker News • Mentions

On “A brief history of liquid computers (2019)”

There was a neat liquid computer called the MONIAC used to model the national economic processes of the UK. Here's a video: link to this video Edit: Oh it was mentioned in the paper!
View on Hacker News

Nitionon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Show HN: A central bank simulator game with a realistic economic model”

This is exactly why MONIAC01 was created in 1949. Not a real computer exactly - it simulates the entire system with water flow. 0 link 1 link to this video
View on Hacker News

robocaton Hacker News • Mentions

On “Quantum winter is coming”

Here’s an analogue computer called the MONIAC from ~1949 that calculates monetary flow in an economy: link with a fairly naff video of it operating but captures the essence: link to this video I like the COMPAQ branding added to it!
View on Hacker News