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31 views28 pagesBooth & Kathleen - General Consideration in The Design of An All Purpose Electronic Digital Computer
Uploaded by
Pedro CasanovaCopyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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/ 28
GENERAL CONS IDURATIONS IN THE DESIGN GY aN Alt EUUPOE
ELEQTROWIG DIGITAL COMPUTER.
oy
AIDREW D. BOOTH
and
KATRLEDY E.Y. BRITTEN.
2nd, BAition
August 1947, AcE.
‘This report contains a summary of current ideas on the application
of logisties to the design of an ell purpose electronic comuter, the
need for such logical discussion becomes very clear when any attempt is
made to envision a machine capable of programming all possible caloulaticus,
and of executing such a programne at electronic speeds.
The non~original ideas,contained in the following text, have been
derived from e number of sources, direct reference to which vould be very
difficult oving to the lapse of time, It is felt, however, that acknowledge~
nent should be maée to Prof. John von Neumann and to Dr. Herman Goldstine
for nany fruitful discussions on both the theoretical end practical
aspects of the cubjoct. Thanks are dus, also, to the Electronic Computer
Project of the Institute Zor advanced Stuiy and U.S. Aray Ordnance Dept.
for the hospitality ant opportunity for study afforded to the euthors,
Wo wish to record our indcbtedness to the Reckefellor Foundation
for the grant of a Fellowship to ona ef us (4sD.B.) which made the
present stuly possible,
AD.Be
K.EV.Be
The Institute for Advanced Stuy,
Princeton,
Neds
FRUFACE 10 2n4. DITION.
‘The demand for copies of this report has been co great that a
second olition kes become necoseary. Aivantago has boon takon of this
to make minor corrections and to add a section on round off proccduros,
A.D,Be
KRT.Be 1,00
2.00
0.10 Projected machines,
0,20 Goneval principies.
0.21 Organisation.
0.30 ho scale of notation.
0.40 The isput and output.
Ths memory.
Desiderata.
Macrescopic elenonts.
Sea. v.8, switching methods.
Combinatorial menory.
Thermal nenor}es.
tice nomory.
Kerr offect as selector mockantens
Acoustic menory (serial).
Acoustic momory (parallel).
Electrical menory.
Tho medina,
iegnotie nonerys
1.71 Magnetic menory for parallel operations
1,72 Permanence,
1480 Bloctronie menory.
1.90 Genoval conclusioss,
1,91 Input outputs
1.92 ho intormediate nonory.
1495 Tho high epee’ nonory.
1.94 Tho menovy for orders.
Pee PPP pepe
SeS2etsSSRNge
The arithmetic wit,
2,10 Tho binary point.
2,20 “Hogat!ve musvorse
2.30 sadition,
2.31 Dynamic and static accumlatores
2,40 Subtraction.
2,41 Subtraction by complonentes
2,42 Tho invortod carry overs
2,50 Multinlicetions
2.61 Uegctive mumberss
2,52 Extonled accuracy
Divisions
Tho dterative methods
ho direct mothods
Extraction
Tho itorative netheds
diroct wethods
pam TER,
Be
Be snared,
2.00
3,00
Zho.arithmatic uit.
2.20
2,88
2682
The control
3.10
3.20
3430
3.40
3.41
3442
3.50
3.60
5.6L
3,62
3.70
Round off procedures.
ifuLtiplication.
Division.
Synchronous vs asyachronous operations
Specification of orderss
The control register.
The control counter,
Mon singular operations
Singular oporation.
Tae decoder-coders
The orders.
Basic order scte
Gontrected notations
Extended order sety
PACT EER.
18s
18s
We
Bly GBMURAL COUSIDERATLONS IM THE DESION OF Atl ALL PURPOSE DIGIMAL COMPUTER.
0.0 Introduction,
The Zirst coacestion of 4 calculating machine, capeble of executing
ane completely automatic nannor, a sequence of orders previously given te
Lt, appears to have deen due to Charles Bebbago, Chis machine vas not
completely realised on account of its essentially mechavical nature ant"
tecimologleal inperfections of the engineering processes aveileble in 1009»
However, despite this noarealisation, Bebbagets plans contein all the
logical elexents required for the construction of such a computer,
Little progress ves made tovarde the actual construction of @
general purpose commiter until the late 1930's , when tyo projects vere
initiated in the U.S.d.. these were:
1) The AS.C.0, at carvard.
2) the BAU.I.A.C. at Failadolyhizs
The A.$.0.0, is essentially @ large Hollerith machine with provist.
for miltiplication aad diviefon, and for logical programing, Js a
Hollerith type machine it is satisfactory, but the programing is complex
end the execution of omers slow. For example, multiplication takes @ tiv.
of the order of five seconds, The memory 45 infefinitely lerge but very.
slow as it consists of punched cards,
The E,WeL+As0. 1s the first working clectronic machine, but is
Limited in application,since its programming is vory compligeted, end ite
Interne fast memory is only 20 numberse Frecticelly, the speed of
operation of tho ZeK.Ieks0. 18 equal to that of its punched card output
(100 cards por minute), since all the electronic processes of the machine
are considerably faster.
Oi Projected machinos.
It will be seem from the above Brief survey, that existing machines
are limited in application, elther oy their slow overall speed (due to
electromechenical elements), or to thoir limited high speed memory capaci 7+
4s a general principle, 1% can be stated that it is useless to increase th.
spead of factional nits beyond ono order of migaitude faster than that af
the data input, Thus, for a reley type machine, miltinlication tine of
much less then 2/100th, sec, 1s unjustificd, since punched taye or card
fata feed is slow comered with this.
¥schines at proseat wor construction attempt te neot th
desidoratua, and are of two main typesi~
8 logicat
1) Sorial operation macuinos,
2) Parellel cporation machines.
Of the first type may bo meatioasd the B,D.Vedel. end its Britich
countemeart AoGsEs, ant of the secont, the Princeton Computer project ent
our own machino, The distinction betwen the tyo types is that, ia 1s
digits of 2 musbor ero available ono a4 a tine la etriet soquones, viils?
in 2), all the digits of en; munber becom available ai the sane tims
