analog computer

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

an′alog comput′er, 

1. Computing a computer that represents data by measurable quantities, as voltages or, formerly, the rotation of gears, in order to solve a problem, rather than by expressing the data as numbers. Cf. digital computer.

• 1945–50, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

analog computer noun

1. a mechanical, electrical, or electronic computer that performs arithmetical operations by using some variable physical quantity, such as mechanical movement or voltage, to represent numbers