No, that's not really the problem. You can implement branching of a sorts in analog, but branching isn't a very useful concept here.
The strength of digital is that your logic is implemented as information instead of physical pieces. Your CPU contains all the hardware to perform any operation, and your code is what directs the flow of information. When you get down to bare basics, the CPU is a pretty simple machine without much more complexity than a clockwork mechanism. It's an extremely fascinating subject and I very highly recommend Ben Eater's breadboard CPU videos on YouTube. But I digress.
The real trick is that digital computers are general purpose. They can compute any problem that is computable, with no physical changes. It's purely information that drives the system. An analog computer is a single-purpose device[0] designed to compute a very specific set of equations which directly model a physical system. Any changes to that set of equations requires physical changes to the machine.
[0] general purpose analog computers do exist, but generally they're actually performing digital logic. There have only been a few general purpose true-analog computers ever designed AFAIK. See Babbage's difference engine.
calamari4065|2 years ago
The strength of digital is that your logic is implemented as information instead of physical pieces. Your CPU contains all the hardware to perform any operation, and your code is what directs the flow of information. When you get down to bare basics, the CPU is a pretty simple machine without much more complexity than a clockwork mechanism. It's an extremely fascinating subject and I very highly recommend Ben Eater's breadboard CPU videos on YouTube. But I digress.
The real trick is that digital computers are general purpose. They can compute any problem that is computable, with no physical changes. It's purely information that drives the system. An analog computer is a single-purpose device[0] designed to compute a very specific set of equations which directly model a physical system. Any changes to that set of equations requires physical changes to the machine.
[0] general purpose analog computers do exist, but generally they're actually performing digital logic. There have only been a few general purpose true-analog computers ever designed AFAIK. See Babbage's difference engine.