Metal reeds and Babbage’s Analytical Engine: what they have in common

1. Step 1. Metal reeds — is part of — Harmonica. Metal reeds vibrate in a flow of air.
2. Step 2. Harmonica — works like — Accordion. Free-reed instruments; air comes from the lungs instead of bellows.
3. Step 3. Accordion — has part — Bellows. Bellows.
4. Step 4. Bellows — is part of — Player piano. Pedal bellows create suction.
5. Step 5. Player piano — works like — Jacquard loom. A perforated medium controls a machine — a weaving one in one case, a musical one in the other.
6. Step 6. Jacquard loom — inspired — Babbage’s Analytical Engine. Babbage borrowed Jacquard’s punched cards directly for entering operations and data; Ada Lovelace compared the machine to the Jacquard loom.

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