The four-species calculating machine by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

We start our presentation of selected mechanical calculators with this calculator by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, which was the first to realize a mechanical solution for all four arithmetical operations. The 3D-animation was produced by Mario Wolfram, curator of the Arithmeum collection of early computers and PCs. His presentation of the mechanical calculator by Leibniz is a wonderful example for the didactic possibilies of such a 3D-animation. This specific calculator is a mechanical masterpiece and therefore challenges the user of any 3D creation software such as Blender. Our animation shows in great detail what makes it an especially appealing invention and - last but not least – that it actually does calculate correctly.