December 2008
Intermediate to advanced
568 pages
16h 16m
English
Consider a coin-operated machine that accepts nickels and dimes[1] and, for the princely sum of fifteen cents, dispenses some useful article called a “gizmo” that the well-dressed man-about-town could not possibly be without.[2] We may consider such a machine to comprise three main blocks: a receiver that accepts money, a dispenser that dispenses the “gizmo” along with any change, and a controller that oversees everything and makes sure things function as planned (Figure 12.1).
1 For the benefit of those readers who do not reside in the United States, nickels and dimes are American coins worth five and ten cents, respectively.
2 I always carry two in case of an emergency.
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