How do Mechanical Calculators multiply and divide?

I asked a previous question earlier on how to make a mechanical calculator, and now I have a semi-working model ( I have made all components individually, I justdon't have the parts the make all components needed at the same time). It runs on marbles and is made of legos, and it, in theory, will add and subtract. Now comes the really hard part: making it multiply and divide. Does anybody out there know how the earlier calculators multiply and divide? Was it a system of addition and subtraction, or was it something totally different? And please, no answers like, "OUT OF LEGO'S - are you mad? " Thank you.

Answer:
In theory all multiplication problems can be converted to addition problems and all division problems can be converted to subtraction problems. This is how mechanical and electronic calculators work at the most basic level.
2 x 5 = 2+2+2+2+2 (five additions of 2)
10/2 = 10-2-2-2-2-2 (5 subtractions of 2)
The details of the mechanism can be tricky, especially when you get to decimals and negative numbers.
The old time calculators had a system of dials and gears with a crank at the end of the assembly. if you turned the crank once the first dial would click up to the next number it would do this for each revolution of the crank until the first dial had made a complete revolution(ten turns of the crank) and here the gears would turn the second dial by an increment of one( an increment of 1 ten times = 10). this would continue for a hundred revolutions then the third dial would increase 1 etc.

The answers post by the user, for information only, FunQA.com does not guarantee the right.



More Questions and Answers:
  • Which is better,Btech in Comoputer science engineering or Btech in Electronics and communication?
  • Balsa wood!?! Balsa Wood: uses, creation process, properties etc.?
  • How is salt water purified into water that can even be used for household purposes?
  • How do magnets help explorers?
  • What are the capacitor effects on a single phase induction motor?
  • Finding materials (sphere/ball)?
  • Is it possible for me to replace broken body parts with robot parts, until I am eventually a full robot.?
  • I lost the screw cap to my green laser pointer (the long pen type that works with 2 AAA)?
  • What are the correct rotations for an older style combination safe?