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Subject: 
Re: Mechanical Memory for Computing
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build, lugnet.off-topic.geek
Followup-To: 
lugnet.off-topic.geek
Date: 
Thu, 26 Jun 2003 05:35:09 GMT
Viewed: 
2419 times
  
In lugnet.build, Michael Cotsford wrote:
Very cool design.

   The 4-bit byte is a function of #12 axles being the longest available, but
the design is extendable to link multiple bytes together into longer length
words.

Question:
Why are you calling 4 bits a byte? 4 bits is a nibble, while 8 bits would be a
byte. Obviously the design can be extended to 8 bits like you mentioned. They
you would have your byte.

Actually a byte is whatever you define it to be - a nibble is generally half a
byte, and a word is generally 2 bytes. I haven't seen a machine using 4 bit
bytes, but I've seen 8, 16, 32 and 64. And I'm sure there are other weird ones
floating around ;)

FUT: .off-topic.geek

ROSCO



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Mechanical Memory for Computing
 
Very cool design. (...) Question: Why are you calling 4 bits a byte? 4 bits is a nibble, while 8 bits would be a byte. Obviously the design can be extended to 8 bits like you mentioned. They you would have your byte. Michael (21 years ago, 26-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)

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