ENIAC
ENIAC, short for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, was the world's first general-purpose electronic digital computer. Here are detailed facts about this pioneering machine:
- Development and Construction:
- Technical Specifications:
- It used approximately 17,468 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 6,000 switches, and 1,500 relays.
- The machine weighed 30 tons, occupied 1,800 square feet, and consumed around 150 kilowatts of electrical power.
- ENIAC could perform up to 5,000 additions or 357 multiplications per second, which was a significant leap in computational speed at the time.
- Operation:
- Programming was done by physically rewiring the machine. A program involved setting up patch cables and switches to control the flow of data through the machine.
- It had no internal storage for programs; programs had to be manually entered into the computer, which made programming a labor-intensive task.
- Impact:
- ENIAC was instrumental in performing calculations for the hydrogen bomb, weather prediction, wind tunnel design, and other scientific uses, demonstrating the utility of high-speed computing.
- Its design influenced the development of subsequent computers, leading to the development of the stored-program concept, which was pivotal in the evolution of modern computing.
- Legacy:
- The machine was decommissioned in 1955 and parts of it were donated to the Smithsonian Institution.
- ENIAC paved the way for the development of the UNIVAC I, one of the first commercially available computers, by the same team that built ENIAC.
- Recognition:
- The contributions of Mauchly and Eckert were recognized years later, although their work was initially overlooked due to various patent disputes and the broader cultural context of the time.
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