A logical machine is a tool containing a set of parts that uses energy to perform formal logic operations. Early logical machines were mechanical devices that performed basic operations in Boolean logic. Contemporary logical machines are computer-based electronic programs that perform proof assistance with theorems in mathematical logic. In the 21st century, these proof assistant programs have given birth to a new field of study called mathematical knowledge management.
Origins
The earliest logical machines were mechanical constructs built in the late 19th century. William Stanley Jevons invented the first logical machine in 1869, the logic piano. In 1883, Allan Marquand invented a new logical machine that performed the same operations as Jevons' logic piano but with improvements in design simplification, portability, and input-output controls.