DIGITAL COMPUTER TECHNIQUES & PRINCIPLES 1962 U.S. NAVY FILM UNIVAC IBM ELECTRODATA 90714

What are our

digital

computer

s? They are superhuman machines that can solve any type of problem. No, not at all. They are man-made monsters that perform mathematical miracles and millionths of a second. No, nothing miraculous or monstrous. They are electronic brains that can do man's things. thinking that for him they can do some of that and be big and fast about it. Too large

computer

s can remember and control millions of bits of data and retrieve and use any of it in a fraction of a moment and the computers run faster than fine. How many human beings using desktop calculators would you say a hundred?

A thousand more than that, yes, five hundred thousand, although as complicated as they may seem. Digital computers are basically simple, a collection of ideas and

principles

that are not at all difficult to understand nor are they difficult to understand. very new here is the first computer used by man it was the first

digital

computer in fact the word digit comes from the latin word for finger used for counting then the digits became numbers to keep track of numbers or to count higher man used stones we still use the Latin word for stone calculation and the first calculating device may have looked like this: you could count your sheep, your children, your prayers, in fact the Anglo-Saxon word bead meant prayer, when man put his accounts in this way, he grouped them like the digits on his hand with the additional accounts counting the number by fives the abacus used by all ancient civilizations is still a widely used counting or accounting device 350 years ago, A scholarly Scottish preacher and mathematician named John Napier invented these ivory calculating bones as they were called.

This is one of the original sets that were used for multiplication. A few years later, the French genius Blaise Pascal invented and built the first adding machines. mechanics of the world. This is one of them made in the 1640s. Pascal's achievement lay in the gear mechanism that automatically took care of the remnants, for example, six plus nine as the one transferred to the next place. Also in the early 17th century, an Englishman William Authorid put together two logarithmic scales like these and made the form of slide rule we use today a three-hundred-year-old indispensable. An ancient tool in all areas of defense science, engineering and business progress depend on the availability of fast and accurate calculation methods.

They have allowed us to take giant steps in power, control, design, processing and research. Our seven-league boots are ours. Calculating machines and they come in many styles in some the action is completely mechanical using levers, gears and ratchets to perform the calculating operations, the method used here is digital, that is, the machine works with digits, real numbers in this type of calculator or computer, the action is electromechanical, uses servomotors, potentiometers, cams, friction units and similar devices, are moved or configured so that the axis positions, voltages, angles, lengths and other physical quantities represent the numbers involved in the calculations as equivalences or analogues of numbers are used instead of numbers as these types of machines are called analog computers in this type of computer the action is completely electronic and completely automatic the working parts are transistors vacuum tubes devices magnetic and other electronic components the machine works with real numbers and therefore is a digital computer this

film

is deals with this type of computer and its purpose is to present a general introduction to the subject, the computer process is logical and easy to continue, begins with the problem that can affect virtually any topic that can be treated mathematically, determining the route and positions of a satellite in orbit computing payrolls for thousands of employees equalizing load on a power transmission network controlling the traffic of a airport forecasting the weather or designing a missile and its system whatever it is, you have the problem and you have data or information that the computer will process to come up with a solution to perform this processing the computer needs instructions, so you write a program , a complete and detailed list of each operation that the computer must perform to solve the problem, then the complete program, which is the instructions and the data, the information to be worked on, both are prepared for insertion into the computer by transferring them to an input medium, which may be punched cards, punched paper tape, or magnetic tape for automatic insertion or a typewriter for manual input, the medium conveys the inputs in a code language acceptable to the computer the computer first stores the program and data and then processes the data as directed by the program.

The results of the computer's work are transferred to an output medium, such as punched cards, punched tape, or magnetic tape that presents the data in computer language or the medium. It can be a printer that presents the output in a readable form, therefore the solution is to complete the process that started with the problem and the data. These elements are relevant to all automatic digital computing systems. Now let's look at the functions performed by the computer. has the ability to add, which it does by counting, subtract by counting backwards and multiply and divide operations that are based on addition and subtraction, these are the arithmetic operations of computers, it can also perform what are known as logical operations, it can compare a number. with another it can arrange numbers in a particular order, it can find a specific number and it can do things such as distinguish between positive and negative signs, so the computer can make simple decisions or choices, but only as instructed, it operates on the basis of simplicity in Mathematical functions are performed multiplicity in the number of times they can be performed and the speed is fantastic.

It is achieved electronically using transistors, semiconductor diodes and vacuum tubes. These devices have a two-state feature and the ability to switch from one state to another. off on cut off conduct under voltage high voltage and so on switching in this way in millions of seconds microseconds this two state characteristic is the basis of the operation of the electronic digital computer however these two states and the ten digits of our decimal number system do not They are compatible They cannot be easily paired Fortunately there is a number system that is compatible It is based on just two digits 0 and 1 This is the binary number system which means you will hear a lot about it in relation to digital computers These two digits can be can be used to represent any number, we hope you find a full explanation in a later movie.

For now, let's accept the fact that a two-state device, such as a lamp, a diode, or a transistor, can be used to count in the binary system off can be considered binary zero on binary one let's add another component now there are more possibilities 0 0 0 1 1 0 and 1 1 3 will give us more combinations add more lights and even more combinations are possible since the computer language is binary we must feed it with data in binary form, take these some binary ones, they can be represented by holes punched into a card at key locations, non-punched locations represent binary zeros, we can use cards like these as an input medium or an output medium, a special encoding allows us to represent letters of the alphabet punctuation marks and other symbols a single card has approximately thousand locations for such bits of information bits is an abbreviation for binary digits the data recorded on the card is read by metal fingers or brushes that make electrical contacts through the holes and without contacts where there are no holes, reading can also be performed through the use of light beams and photocells.

Paper tape is a similar carrier of information. Magnetic tape that has a layer of iron oxide is yet another vehicle for obtaining information. The small areas are magnetized and are shown here symbolically in one. direction to represent binary zero and in the other to represent binary one, therefore, the problem data and program instructions carried by the tape or whatever input medium is used enter the computer in the form of binary code The computer is part of a system that includes input and output devices The input device is a data reader that converts information on the tape or card into coded pulses of high and low voltage electricity that represent binary ones and zeros The computer contains arithmetic and control storage sections the storage section sometimes called memory contains elements that receive and store problem data and instructions the control section directs all operations of the computer essentially control is a timing and triggering system to transfer data controls the input takes each instruction from storage and interprets it configures the arithmetic section to do the required math or logical operations releases the problem data to the arithmetic section and directs the rows to storage when the problem has been solved control directs the result to the output device this device transfers the results to an output medium tape cards printed form or visual display this then is the general scheme of operation of an automatic or giant digital computer in later

film

s you will know the special meanings of terms like word logic record clock and flip flop The automatic digital computer is a remarkable tool in its many shapes and sizes that can do almost anything, but only at the behest of man, they will never duplicate the achievements of the human mind, as the computer He has no initiative, no imagination, no spirit, but he is opening new fields of thought and work and new goals for the human race.

He made many tools that have multiplied the power of his hands here is one that multiplies the power of his mind