A is for analogue

摘要

Metaphor is important in science.We need a picture in our mind,for ourselves and so we can share it with others,We need a picture even when there can be no true picture,as for atoms and in quantum mechanics.Our brains are analogue processors.We might believe the result of a complex digital calculation but we can't visualise the answer,except as analogue.The very basic idea of analogue is to model a complex situation so as to be able to analyse it.The icon of analogues is the slide rule.Numbers are replaced by lengths and the scales are compressed by logarithms.As chemistry students,we slung slide rules in our pockets as student doctors hung stethoscopes around their necks.