Answers.Body: <ul>
  <li><strong>Absolutely these traps and snares are a form of automation.</strong>  </li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>They take a task--harvesting small animals--which was traditionally done by hunting them, and make the process automatic.  The mechanism requires a human to set up, but its function is automatic.  This is to say that the mechanism operates without human involvement.</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><strong>Absolutely this is a form of computation.</strong></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>As DuttaA observed, these machines utilize a simple "IF/THEN" statement.  In the case of the snare:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>IF the hook is displaced from the base, THEN the sapling straightens</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>These simple machines will also return True or False:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>TRUE: The trap catches an animal <br>
    FALSE: The trap is sprung but empty</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>The small animals are the input and, potentially, the output, depending on whether the mechanism returns "true".  </p>
  
  <p><sub><em>(The use of "true" has historically included phrases such as "their aim was true" in the sense of shooting an arrow or throwing a spear.)</em></sub></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-08-12T18:24:01.307Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-08-12T18:24:01.307Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: DukeZhou
Body: <p>I'm trying to understand the relationship of humans and automation, historically and culturally. </p>
  
  <p>I ask because the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation#Early_history" rel="noreferrer">waterclock</a> is generally considered the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_clock" rel="noreferrer">earliest form</a> of automation, but snares and deadfall traps constitute simple switch <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanism_(engineering)" rel="noreferrer">mechanisms</a>. </p>
  
  <p><em>(They are single use without human-powered reset, but seem to qualify as machines. The bent sapling that powers the snare is referred to as the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=engine%20definition" rel="noreferrer">engine</a>, which is "a machine with moving parts that converts power into motion.")</em></p>
  
  <p>If snares and traps are a form of automation, automation has been with us longer, potentially, than civilization.  </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Are simple animal traps a form of automation or computation?</li>
  </ul>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/2g0h6.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/2g0h6.jpg" alt="simple snare for trapping small animals"></a>
  <br><sub><a href="https://www.thereadystore.com/diy/6167/how-to-make-a-simple-snare/" rel="noreferrer">How to make a simple snare (the Ready Store)</a></sub></p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LFtks.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LFtks.jpg" alt="Paiute Deadfall Trap"></a><br>
  <sub><a href="https://homesteadtelegraph.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/paiute-deadfall-trap/" rel="noreferrer">Paiute Deadfall Trap (Homestead Telegraph)</a></sub></p>
  
Tags: <history><automation><computation>
Title: Are simple animal snares and traps a form of automation? Of computation?
UserDisplayName: DukeZhou
ThreadText: # Are simple animal snares and traps a form of automation? Of computation?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2019-08-09)
  
  I'm trying to understand the relationship of humans and automation, historically and culturally.
  
  I ask because the [waterclock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation#Early_history) is generally considered the [earliest form](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_clock) of automation, but snares and deadfall traps constitute simple switch [mechanisms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanism_(engineering)).
  
  *(They are single use without human-powered reset, but seem to qualify as machines. The bent sapling that powers the snare is referred to as the [engine](https://www.google.com/search?q=engine%20definition), which is "a machine with moving parts that converts power into motion.")*
  
  If snares and traps are a form of automation, automation has been with us longer, potentially, than civilization.
  
  * Are simple animal traps a form of automation or computation?
  
  ---
  
  [![simple snare for trapping small animals](https://i.sstatic.net/2g0h6.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/2g0h6.jpg)
    
  [How to make a simple snare (the Ready Store)](https://www.thereadystore.com/diy/6167/how-to-make-a-simple-snare/)
  
  [![Paiute Deadfall Trap](https://i.sstatic.net/LFtks.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/LFtks.jpg)  
  [Paiute Deadfall Trap (Homestead Telegraph)](https://homesteadtelegraph.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/paiute-deadfall-trap/)
  
  **Tags:** history, automation, computation
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2019-08-12. Score: 3
  
  * **Absolutely these traps and snares are a form of automation.**
  
  They take a task--harvesting small animals--which was traditionally done by hunting them, and make the process automatic. The mechanism requires a human to set up, but its function is automatic. This is to say that the mechanism operates without human involvement.
  
  * **Absolutely this is a form of computation.**
  
  As DuttaA observed, these machines utilize a simple "IF/THEN" statement. In the case of the snare:
  
  > IF the hook is displaced from the base, THEN the sapling straightens
  
  These simple machines will also return True or False:
  
  > TRUE: The trap catches an animal   
  > FALSE: The trap is sprung but empty
  
  The small animals are the input and, potentially, the output, depending on whether the mechanism returns "true".
  
  *(The use of "true" has historically included phrases such as "their aim was true" in the sense of shooting an arrow or throwing a spear.)*
  
  
  ---
  
  