Early computers were mechanical machines built using gears and levers.
Vladimir Lukyanovs water integrator.
To ensure the quality and durability of reinforced concrete structures, the engineers poured concrete only in the summer.
Despite this, cracks still appeared in the concrete when temperatures dropped below zero in winter.
At that time it was the only computer that could solve partial differential equations.
Lukyanovs water integrator was an impressive piece of plumbing.
It was about the size of a closet, and consisted of several interconnected pipes and pumps.
The result was neatly plotted in a graph.
Newer models were able to solve more complicated problems which significantly expanded its program.
Lukyanovs water integrator remained relevant, despite the availability of electronic computers, for a surprisingly long time.
At present times, only two Lukyanov water integrators exist, stored in the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow.
