The Usefulness of Simon
Thus we can see that Simon can do such a problem as:
Add 0 and 3.
Add 2 and the negative of 1.
Find which result is greater.
Select 3 if this result equals 2;
otherwise select 2.
To work out the coding for this and like problems would be a good exercise. Simon, in fact, is a rather clever little mechanical brain, even if he has only a mentality of 4.
It may seem that a simple model of a mechanical brain like Simon is of no great practical use. On the contrary, Simon has the same use in instruction as a set of simple chemical experiments has: to stimulate thinking and understanding and to produce training and skill. A training course on mechanical brains could very well include the construction of a simple model mechanical brain as an exercise. In this book, the properties of Simon may be a good introduction to the various types of more complicated mechanical brains described in later chapters.
The rest of this chapter is devoted to such questions as:
How do transfers of information actually take place in Simon?
How does the computer in Simon work so that calculation actually occurs?
How could Simon actually be constructed?
What follows should be skipped unless you are interested in these questions and the burdensome details needed for answering them.