The Mechanical Integrator - a machine that does calculus

This video explains the function of the mechanical integrator, a mechanism crucial to the development of mechanical analog computers throughout the twentieth century. This video is part of a project I have been working on in collaboration with Professor Michael Littman of Princeton University. One of the goals for developing this specific machine was to use it as a supplementary tool when teaching calculus and differential equations, so I made this video to demonstrate the machine’s function with specific emphasis on its connection to calculus.