Initially it was conceived as a difference engine curved back upon itself, in a generally circular layout, with the long store exiting off to one side.

Swedish engineers Georg and Edvard Scheutz, inspired by a description of the difference engine, created a mechanical calculation device based on the design in 1853.

A difference engine: computing the solution to a polynomial function

The world's first computer printer was a 19th century mechanically driven apparatus invented by Charles Babbage for his difference engine.

In 1991, a perfectly functioning difference engine was constructed from Babbage's original plans.

Nine years later, the Science Museum completed the printer Babbage had designed for the difference engine.

Any resulting difference in speed between the engine and gearbox is evened out as the clutch slips slightly during re-engagement.

The operation of a heat engine is based on a difference in temperature that is converted to a mechanical output.

The difference can be heard as the flat-plane crankshafts result in the engine having a smoother, higher-pitched sound than cross-plane ( for example, IRL IndyCar Series compared to NASCAR Nextel Cup, or a Ferrari 355 compared to a Chevrolet Corvette ).

The London Science Museum ( London ) | Science Museum's difference engine, built from Babbage's design.

A difference engine is an automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions.

Both logarithmic and trigonometric functions, functions commonly used by both navigators and scientists, can be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful sets of numbers.

Closeup of the London Science Museum's difference engine showing some of the number wheels and the sector gears between columns.

Per Georg Scheutz's third difference engine

The British government was interested, since producing tables was time consuming and expensive and they hoped the difference engine would make the task more economical.

The other issue that undermined the government ’ s confidence in the difference engine was Babbage had moved on to an analytical engine.

By developing something better, Babbage had rendered the difference engine useless in the eyes of the government.

Babbage was able to take advantage of ideas developed for the analytical engine to make the new difference engine calculate more quickly while using fewer parts.

Inspired by Babbage's difference engine plans, Per Georg Scheutz built several difference engines from 1855 onwards, one of which was sold to the British government in 1859.

This work lead the Science Museum to construct a working difference engine No. 2 from 1989 to 1991, under Doron Swade, the then Curator of Computing.

In 2000, the printer which Babbage originally designed for the difference engine was also completed.

The difference engine and printer were constructed to tolerances achievable with 19th-century technology, resolving a long-standing debate whether Babbage's design would actually have worked.

The microscopic difference between compact and cancellous bone is that compact bone consists of haversian sites and osteons, while cancellous bones do not.

Data compression can be viewed as a special case of data differencing: Data differencing consists of producing a difference given a source and a target, with patching producing a target given a source and a difference, while data compression consists of producing a compressed file given a target, and decompression consists of producing a target given only a compressed file.

In its simplest form, Euclid's algorithm starts with a pair of positive integers and forms a new pair that consists of the smaller number and the difference between the larger and smaller numbers.

The simplest form of Euclid's algorithm starts with a pair of positive integers and forms a new pair that consists of the smaller number and the difference between the larger and smaller numbers.

The open interval ( a, b ) has the same measure, since the difference between the two sets consists only of the end points a and b and has measure zero.

The Newton series consists of the terms of the Newton forward difference equation, named after Isaac Newton ; in essence, it is the Newton interpolation formula, first published in his Principia Mathematica in 1687, namely the discrete analog of the continuum Taylor expansion,

The method consists of procedures for isolating and further investigating the form nature, or cause, of a phenomenon, including the method of agreement, method of difference, and method of concomitant variation.

The procedure for capturing a fingerprint using a sensor consists of rolling or touching with the finger onto a sensing area, which according to the physical principle in use ( optical, ultrasonic, capacitive or thermal ) captures the difference between valleys and ridges.

The municipality consists of the following villages and hamlets ( 2009 population figures with difference from 2007 figures ): Boerhaar ( 732, + 10 ), Boskamp ( 1091 ,-51 ), Den Nul ( 568, + 20 ), Duur ( 189, + 6 ), Eikelhof and Overwetering ( 295 ,-14 ), Elshof ( 473, + 26 ), Fortmond ( 104 ,-3 ), Hengforden ( 456, + 37 ), Herxen ( 320, + 4 ), Marle ( 76, + 2 ), Middel ( 213, +/- 0 ), Olst ( 5114, + 209 ), Welsum and Welsumerveld ( 605, + 2 ), Wesepe ( 1206, + 18 ) and Wijhe ( 6104 ,-3 ).

A most basic form of platform consists of an area at the same level as the track, usually resulting in a fairly large height difference between the ' platform ' and the train floor.

This formula can be derived in similar manner to above, but with the modification that one portfolio consists of going long a call, going short a put, and D ( T ) bonds that each pay 1 dollar at maturity T ( the bonds will be worth D ( t ) at time t ); the other portfolio is the same as before-long one share of stock, short K bonds that each pay 1 dollar at T. The difference is that at time T, the stock is not only worth S ( T ) but has paid out D ( T ) in dividends.

* Isotopes: The kinetic isotope effect consists in a different reaction rate for the same molecule if it has different isotopes, usually hydrogen isotopes, because of the mass difference between hydrogen and deuterium.

There are two specific named kinds of pearl necklaces-a uniform pearl necklace consists of pearls that appear to be all the same size, although normally there is a slight difference towards the ends so they appear to be in proportion.

The drink is similar to a cappuccino, the difference being that a cappuccino consists of espresso and steamed milk with a 20 mm ( ¾ inch ) layer of thick milk foam.

Now my reply to instrumentalism consists in showing that there are profound differences between " pure " theories and technological computation rules, and that instrumentalism can give a perfect description of these rules but is quite unable to account for the difference between them and the theories.

The stocks are similar to the pillory and the pranger, as each consists of large, hinged, wooden boards ; the difference, however, is that when a person is placed in the stocks, their feet are locked in place, and sometimes as well their hands or head, or these may be chained.

The main difference between Magic and other VLSI design tools is its use of " corner-stitched " geometry, in which all layout is represented as a stack of planes, and each plane consists entirely of " tiles " ( rectangles ).

The difference between sedition and treason consists primarily in the subjective ultimate object of the violation to the public peace.

A first model of trailer license plate consists of a combination of 3 letters starting with " U " and 3 digits, all red, on white reflecting background with red frame ( so the only difference with ordinary plates is the first letter U ).