Optics and information theory
DOI: 10.1063/1.3057649
Physical processes can sometimes be best described by analogies to apparently unrelated situations. Thus, viscous flow of molasses might be visualized by a mechanical model of springs, dead weights, and dashpots, and the problems of pumping molasses through pipes might be simulated by the flow of electricity through resistors. One resorts to such physical analogies to take advantage of simpler mathematical procedures or more advanced theories in some other domain.
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Richard K. McDonald, Boeing Airplane Company, Seattle, Washington.
