ENIAC

Basic Overview

The world's first modern electronic digital computer Eni Akbar (ENIAC), was born in 1946 University February 14 in Pennsylvania, and officially announced the next day.

30.48 Mi ENIAC long, 6 meters wide, 2.4 meters high and covers an area of ​​about 170 square meters, 30 console, weighing 30 gross tons, 150 kilowatts power consumption, cost $ 4.8 million. It contains 17,468 vacuum tubes (tubes) root Diodes 7,200, 1,500 transit, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, relays 1500, a plurality of switches 6000, 5000 is calculated velocity per 400 multiplications or additions are 1000-fold operated electromechanical relay computer, 20 times by hand calculation.

misinformation

there is misinformation ENIAC the first computer, in fact, the first real computer is Atanasoff - Berry Computer ( Atanasoff-Berry computer, referred to as ABC computer ). ABC fact not programmable computer, and non-Turing complete, only calculation of linear equations. Its value is based on a number of modern computer design, such as binary, reusable memory. So is the first ENIAC General a computer.

R & D process

The reason research and development

The idea developed computer generated During the Second World War. Was in full swing, weapons and equipment is also very poor countries, accounting for aircraft and artillery strategic weapons is the main position, so the research and development of new guns and missiles it is very necessary and urgent. For this reason the US Army Ordnance Department in Aberdeen, Maryland set up a "Ballistic Research Laboratory."

The US military requires that the lab daily six Army artillery units firing table for technical appraisal of the development of missiles. In fact each shot is calculated for hundreds of ballistic tables, and mathematical models of each trajectory is a very complex set of nonlinear equations. These equations are exact solution in no way determined, and therefore can only be approximately calculated by numerical methods.

Time is victory

But that the use of numerical methods for solving approximation is not an easy task! Prevailing computational tools, even if the laboratory employs more than 200 staff work overtime calculation also takes about two more months time to finish a shot count table. "Time is victory" in the war years, how can do such a slow speed? I am afraid not, and other advanced weapons developed, is a losing battle.

In order to change this unfavorable situation, then worked Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania Moxi Li (John Mauchly) presented the first prototype computer initially envisaged in 1942 - "High Speed computing devices using tube ", it is desirable to increase the tube instead of the relay with the calculation speed of the machine.

The US military learned of the vision, immediately grant support, to set up a Moxi Li, Eckert (John Eckert), led the research team began development work, the budget of $ 150,000 , which was a huge sum of money. If it were not for the war, who are willing to out so much money! Although the evil of war, but occasionally might come not promote the development of science and technology.

von Neumann

make development work very fortunate that, when any ballistic Institute consultant, is participating in the first US atomic bomb development work of Von Neumann man (von Neumann, 1903-1957, American Hungarians) with the development of the atomic bomb (1944) a large number of computational problems encountered in the process, in the middle of the development process to join the development team. The original ENIAC There are two problems with it and no memory wiring-board control, even to lap a few days, the calculation speed will be offset by this work. In 1945, von Neumann and his development team on the basis of common discussion, issued a new "general purpose stored program computer program" --EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) in the process his computer addressed many key issues have made important contributions, in order to ensure the smooth advent of the computer.

Although ENIAC bulky, power alarming, however, thousands of times the operation speed, but it is 1000 times faster than conventional time computing means, but also automatically performs an arithmetic operation according to pre-programmed procedure , logical and function of storing data. ENIAC declared the beginning of a new era. Since then, scientific computing also opened the door. Role

War

But why in the world's first computer to retreat into the mid-1940s was able to come out of it? This is mainly inside the actual needs urgent and whether the availability of funding problems. Of course, the actual need has always been there, who do not want to have one of the most advanced computing tools? But demand alone can not decide everything. Where the development of a new tool, you always need a lot of money upfront (when developed ENIAC, beginning investment of $ 150,000, but the final total investment of up to $ 480,000, but this huge sum of money in the 1940s!). As a tool can not come out boldly money is always in the minority.

The war finally become a reality born of the computer. In fact a variety of social needs, the demand during war is always the most urgent, as a matter of survival. Government and military are always generous, the application of the latest scientific and technological achievements to the development work such as strategic and conventional weapons, in order to ensure one's leading position in the military.

It was in World War II computer filled with the smoke started to develop. As described above, in order to U.S. Ordnance Test was providing accurate and timely trajectory fire table, there is an urgent need for a high-speed calculation tool. Therefore, the strong support of the US military, the world's first general-purpose computer ENIAC in 1942 started to develop. Participate in the development work is based on Moxi Li of the University of Pennsylvania Moore School of Electrical Engineering and Eckert led the research team.

Development

actual development

ENIAC this monster what can we do? It can be performed 5000 times per second adder (It is estimated that the fastest operation speed per person only addition operations 5), 400 multiplications per second. It also performs computing quadratic and cubic, calcd and other more complicated calculations of sine and cosine trigonometric functions.

With our point of view, which of course is very insignificant. But at the time, but very remarkable achievement! The original need more than 20 minutes out of time to calculate a trajectory, but for now just 30 seconds! This alleviates the problem then all of a sudden very serious computing speed considerably behind the actual requirements.

At that time, von Neumann is involved in the atomic bomb development work, he is with a lot of computational problems encountered during the development of the atomic bomb added to the development work to the computer. Therefore we can say, ENIAC was the birth of the world's first atomic bomb was also a lot of power.

opinion but even then, the ENIAC also has many disadvantages: In addition to large volume, multi-power outside, due to the high heat generated by the operation of the machine that the tubes are easily damaged. As long as there is a tube is damaged, the entire machine will not operate normally, then you have to start with the more than 18,000 tubes in which to find the damage, and then put the new, it is very troublesome.

Updates Development

It is of course not satisfied with this. Therefore, since the advent of the first computer, a growing number of high-performance computers are developed. Computer from the first generation to fourth generation, is developing the fifth generation, sixth generation of intelligent computers. Like ENIAC was originally manufactured, many high-performance computer is always in tip and conventional weapons, particularly nuclear weapons development services.

and all the tools of the invention, like humans, are generated due to the computer side to come out of actual need. Since the 18th century, science and technology have made great progress. Manufacturing logic circuit tube technology and computer knowledge necessary to have emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century, and to be perfect. Therefore we can say basic scientific knowledge makes computers have a complete.

Historical Clarification

the world's first computer will appear on most domestic media is the last century ENIAC in 1946 by the American Moke Li (John Mauchly) invention written records, but it is another way of saying: the world's first computer was a professor at Iowa State University John Vincent Atanasoff (John Vincent Atanasoff) and his graduate student Kelifute Mr. Berry (Clifford Berry) between 1937 and 1941 developed "Atanasoff - Berry computer (Atanasoff-Berry computer, referred to as ABC)".

In domestic friends actually very few people know this truth, many domestic authors in their monographs, textbooks and even popular science activities, publicity still is the world's first ENIAC computer . Therefore, IT workers as a necessary scientific spirit, predecessors for ascertaining the facts, hope this article helps to correct this long-standing intellectual in the country's major academic misunderstanding, to set the record straight.

Here the concept of a computer, computer, and other general-purpose computer, the computer may occur even goes back to the 17th century adding machine. (Also known as Pascal's machine, which is a mechanical computer). ABC computer is the first electronic computer, the non-Turing complete, the maximum limit is not programmable. The concept of modern computers is equivalent to a general purpose computer should be, i.e. Turing complete, programmable like.

It was confirmed that the first computer in the world should be "ABC". In 1941, one of the inventors "ENIAC" in Moco in 阿坦纳索夫 home staying five days, take the opportunity to "steal" the research results and ideas, after Eckert and manufactured together with the "ENIAC" and patented, are world known as "the father of modern computers" and 阿坦纳索夫 did not pay attention to their great inventions "ABC", the school did not attach importance to this invention, and removed the "ABC". After a US court decision to overthrow and revoked Moco in the patent, "the basic idea of ​​modern computers from John - in fact, the University of Iowa where 阿坦纳索夫 Atanasoff - Vincent ABC does not apply to computer patents, and litigation is not a few computer designer himself, but two computer companies, Honeywell and Sperry Rand company.

exhibition section

ENIAC panels and other components after being retired on display at the following locations:

• invention School of Engineering and applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania has 40 panels of ENIAC

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• the Smithsonian has five panels, on display in the Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

• London Science Museum has a receiving-speech device.

• California Mountain View (Google headquarters) computer museum has three panels.

• Maryland US Army Ordnance Museum has a part, and next year it is the ENIAC serving Aberdeen base.

• University of Michigan to participate in the ENIAC research has four embedded in its College of Engineering plate.

• West Point has data entry device.