• floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      7 hours ago

      Digital (discrete, e.g. binary) is mutually exclusive with analog (continuous, e.g. voltage), but either can be either physical (existing in the real world), or virtual (simulated, represented).

      A digital clock can be physical or virtual. A virtual clock can be digital or analog.

      Btw I don’t think it makes sense to say redstone computers are “simulating binary”, at least not any more than real computers do. It’s just another digital computer, running in a virtual environment rather than a physical one.

    • unwarlikeExtortion@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      14 hours ago

      It is a bit confusing.

      Minecraft is a digital simulation of a physical (albeit blocky) world.

      If we treat minecraft as a physical world (one simulated, but that’s beside the point), we can claim that it’s a (simulated) physical simulation.

    • fartographer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      2 days ago

      Yes, calculating with moving parts are how the first computers/calculators worked. Nowadays, you’ll usually see them represented by relay computers, which are usually an educational experiment, or meant to be used in harsh environments where a modern computer couldn’t function properly.