Harvard mark-I and the bug, Computer Engineering

Assignment Help:

The next important effort in the direction of devising an electromechanical computer was made at Harvard University mutually sponsored by IBM and Department of UN Navy, Howard Aiken of Harvard University created a system known as Mark I in 1944. Mark I was a decimal machine means that computations were performed employing decimal digits.

Some of you should have heard a term known as 'bug'. It is mostly used to denote errors in computer programs. This term was invented when one day a program in Mark-I didn't run accurately because of a moth short-circuiting the computer. Since then moth or bug has been linked with problems or errors in computer programming. So process of eliminating error in a program is termed as 'debugging'.

The common shortcomings of these electromechanical and mechanical computers were: 

  • Inertia/Friction of moving components limited speed.
  • Data movement using liners and gears was very unreliable and difficult.

Change was to have a storing and switching mechanism with no moving parts. The electronic switching device 'triode' vacuum tubes were used so first electronic computer was born.


Related Discussions:- Harvard mark-I and the bug

What do you mean by keyboard touch, Q. What do you mean by Keyboard Touch? ...

Q. What do you mean by Keyboard Touch? When employing a keyboard the most important factor is the feel of keyboard it implies that how typing feels on that specific keyboard.

Explain the working of a 2-bit digital comparator, Explain the working of a...

Explain the working of a 2-bit digital comparator with the help of Truth Table. Ans. Digital comparator is a combinational circuit which compares two numbers, A and B; and

Write short notes on proton – proton fusion in sun, Q. Write short notes on...

Q. Write short notes on proton - proton fusion in sun. Proton - Proton cycle 1 H 1 + 1 H 1 → 1 H 2 + 1 e 0 + ν (emission of positron as well as neutrino) 1

Variable ordering - forward checking, Variable ordering - Forward checking:...

Variable ordering - Forward checking: Hence this is different from variable ordering in two important ways as:  Whether this is a dead end when we will end up visiting a

What are the uses of ramps, What are the uses of Ramps? Ramps: I...

What are the uses of Ramps? Ramps: It is a network planning method which makes the most efficient use of manpower, cash resources and materials among various projects go

What is a zombie, What is a zombie? When a program forks and the child ...

What is a zombie? When a program forks and the child finishes before the parent, the kernel still keeps some of its information about the child in case the parent might require

C programming, write a program to find the area under the curve y=f(x) betw...

write a program to find the area under the curve y=f(x) between x=a and x=b,integrate y=f(x) between the limits of a and b

What are the different types of parameters, What are the different types of...

What are the different types of parameters? Formal Parameters: Parameters, which are described during the definition of subroutine with the FORM statement.

Dynamic programming problem, KK manufacturing company is faced with demand ...

KK manufacturing company is faced with demand for its product in each of the next four periods as shown in Table 1.  It must decide upon a production schedule to meet these demands

Illustrate process of swapping system, What does the swapping system do if ...

What does the swapping system do if it identifies the illegal page for swapping? If the disk block descriptor does not have any record of the faulted page, then this causes the

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd