ENIAC is an initialism of Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. It was the first general-purpose computer to be built. The computer was Turing complete and was capable of being reprogrammed to solve a huge variety of computer problems.
Originally, ENIAC was designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the United States army's ballistic research laboratory. The machine was capable of processing speeds over one thousand times faster than existing electro-mechanical machines.
The ENIAC consisted of 17,468 vacuum tubes, 7,200 crystal diodes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 1,500 relays and over five million hand soldered joints. Twenty of the modules within this modular computer were used as accumulators.
These accumulators could add and subtract as well as store a ten digit number within its memory. Numbers were passed between these units and to achieve speed, the panels needed to be able to send, receive, trigger and calculate the numbers with no moving parts.
A problem that was written on paper would need to be programmed onto the computer by manipulating the machine's switches and cables. There were six women involved in most of the programming for the ENIAC and each of them gained a spot on the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame.
ENIAC, or Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, was the very first general purpose computer. Shown to the public in 1946, it is incredible how the technology has developed into the computers we have today.
Originally, ENIAC was designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the United States army's ballistic research laboratory. The machine was capable of processing speeds over one thousand times faster than existing electro-mechanical machines.
- Description
The ENIAC consisted of 17,468 vacuum tubes, 7,200 crystal diodes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 1,500 relays and over five million hand soldered joints. Twenty of the modules within this modular computer were used as accumulators.
These accumulators could add and subtract as well as store a ten digit number within its memory. Numbers were passed between these units and to achieve speed, the panels needed to be able to send, receive, trigger and calculate the numbers with no moving parts.
- Programming
A problem that was written on paper would need to be programmed onto the computer by manipulating the machine's switches and cables. There were six women involved in most of the programming for the ENIAC and each of them gained a spot on the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame.
ENIAC, or Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, was the very first general purpose computer. Shown to the public in 1946, it is incredible how the technology has developed into the computers we have today.
