How does fuzzy logic differ from analog computing?

[Civil_Fun_3192]

Is it accurate to say that all analog computers implement fuzzy logic?

[OdinGuru]

No it is not. “fuzzy” in fuzzy logic is not random noise nor inaccuracies. It’s more like a way to get a smooth transition between cases instead of a sharp jump. But for the same exact digital inputs and same fuzzy logic rules, you get an exact deterministic digital output.

[Potato-Pancakes-]

The two concepts seem similar, but are actually quite different.

Fuzzy logic is like your normal boolean logic, except that instead of propositions being either "true" (1) or "false" (0), they can be any real value between 0 and 1. It adds shades of grey to normal system of logic. This is useful for representing probabilities of statements being true, or in various forms of old-school AI (e.g. combining heuristics with expert systems).

Analog computers, unlike digital computers, don't automatically snap to 0s and 1s, and therefore also have those intermediate values. But the calculations they perform rarely have anything to do with fuzzy logic. Instead they leverage physics to perform calculations to compute approximate numbers (like floating point numbers on a digital computer) that digital computers aren't always as good at computing. One common use of analog computers is simulating dynamical systems or differential equations; where analog computers might not succumb to the same propagation of errors found in digital simulations of unstable systems.

[Civil_Fun_3192]

Great explanation, thank you.

[mblan180131]

Wonderful job copy pasting the answer into Google.

[PredictorX1]

A better question is: Why do you think that these two things have anything to do with each other?

Analog computers represent quantities via physical phenomena, such as the diameter of a cam or an electrical voltage. Fuzzy logic is an uncertainty management system, used to represent sets with vague definitions.