Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator

Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC) was a pioneering British computer designed and built at the University of Cambridge by a team led by Maurice Wilkes. The EDSAC project was influenced by the work of John von Neumann and Alan Turing, and it played a significant role in the development of computer science at Cambridge University. The EDSAC's design was also influenced by the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) built at the University of Pennsylvania by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. The EDSAC's construction was supported by the British Government and the National Physical Laboratory.

Introduction

The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator was one of the first practical stored-program computers and was designed to perform mathematical calculations at high speeds. The EDSAC was built using thermionic valves (also known as vacuum tubes) and cathode ray tubes (CRTs) for display, similar to the Colossus computer built at Bletchley Park by Tommy Flowers and Max Newman. The EDSAC's design was also influenced by the work of Konrad Zuse and his Z3 computer, as well as the Harvard Mark I built by Howard Aiken at Harvard University. The EDSAC was first operational in 1949 and was used for a variety of tasks, including scientific simulations and data processing, at institutions such as the University of Oxford and the University of Manchester.

History

The development of the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator began in 1946 at the University of Cambridge's Mathematical Laboratory, led by Maurice Wilkes and his team, including David Wheeler and Stanley Gill. The project was influenced by the work of John von Neumann and his EDVAC design, as well as the ENIAC built at the University of Pennsylvania. The EDSAC was built using thermionic valves and cathode ray tubes (CRTs) for display, and it used a delay line memory system, similar to the UNIVAC I built by Remington Rand. The EDSAC was first operational in 1949 and was used for a variety of tasks, including scientific simulations and data processing, at institutions such as the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow.

Architecture

The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator's architecture was based on the von Neumann architecture, with a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and input/output devices. The EDSAC used a delay line memory system, which stored data as ultrasonic waves in a tank of mercury, similar to the EDVAC design. The EDSAC's CPU used thermionic valves to perform arithmetic and logical operations, and it had a clock speed of approximately 500 kHz, similar to the CSIRAC built at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. The EDSAC's architecture was also influenced by the work of Alan Turing and his Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) design, as well as the Pilot ACE built at the National Physical Laboratory.

Operation

The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator was operated using a punched tape system, which read in programs and data from paper tape. The EDSAC's programs were written in machine code, using a binary code system, similar to the UNIVAC I built by Remington Rand. The EDSAC's operators used a console to interact with the machine, which included a keyboard and a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, similar to the Whirlwind computer built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The EDSAC was used for a variety of tasks, including scientific simulations, data processing, and codebreaking, at institutions such as the Government Code and Cypher School and the National Security Agency.

Significance

The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator played a significant role in the development of computer science at Cambridge University and beyond. The EDSAC was one of the first practical stored-program computers and demonstrated the feasibility of using thermionic valves and delay line memory in a computer system, similar to the LEO built by J. Lyons and Co.. The EDSAC's design influenced the development of later computers, including the IBM 701 built by IBM and the Ferranti Mark I built by Ferranti. The EDSAC also played a role in the development of artificial intelligence and computer graphics, with researchers such as Alan Turing and Donald Michie using the machine to explore these fields, at institutions such as the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Legacy

The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator's legacy can be seen in the development of later computers and the growth of the computer industry. The EDSAC's design influenced the development of commercial computers, such as the IBM 701 and the Ferranti Mark I, and it played a role in the development of mainframe computers and minicomputers, at companies such as Digital Equipment Corporation and Hewlett-Packard. The EDSAC also influenced the development of computer science as a discipline, with researchers such as Maurice Wilkes and David Wheeler making significant contributions to the field, at institutions such as the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. Today, the EDSAC is recognized as a pioneering machine in the history of computing, and it is celebrated as a significant achievement in the development of computer technology, at museums such as the Computer History Museum and the Science Museum, London. Category:Computing