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

How to detect overflow condition, How to detect overflow condition An o...

How to detect overflow condition An overflow condition can be notice by observing the carry into the sign bit position and the carry out of sign bit position. If this carries a

Low on the data-input line, For the 8-bit bidirectional register in Figure ...

For the 8-bit bidirectional register in Figure 3, verify the status of the register after every clock pulse for the LEFT RIGHT /control waveform given. A HIGH on this input permits

Explain level of a node, Level of a node The root is at level zero and ...

Level of a node The root is at level zero and the level of the node is 1 more than the level of its parent

Techno hype - obstacle to information system, Techno hype - Obstacle to Inf...

Techno hype - Obstacle to Information System New technology has always been accompanied by a certain amount of euphoria that inevitably leads to unrealistic expectations place

Determine the primary memory of the server, Determine the primary memory of...

Determine the primary memory of the server The keys used for accessing the server are held at a secret location in the primary memory of the server. This area or location is hi

-bit comparator using combinational logic, Design a 4-bit comparator using ...

Design a 4-bit comparator using combinational logic, and Karnaugh Maps. The inputs of the circuit are two 2-bit numbers. a) Construct the truth table given 2-bits inputs A and B, a

Convert the decimal number into its equivalent binary number, Write a progr...

Write a program to convert the given Decimal number into its equivalent Binary number.

Interrupts - computer architecture, Interrupts Interrupt-request lin...

Interrupts Interrupt-request line o   Interrupt-acknowledge signal o   Interrupt-request signal Interrupt-service routine o   May have no relationship t

Explain the working of assembler, Explain the working of Assembler? An ...

Explain the working of Assembler? An assembler is the computer program for translating assembly language fundamentally a mnemonic representation of machine language into object

Arbitrary categorisation - learning decision trees, Arbitrary categorisatio...

Arbitrary categorisation - learning decision trees: Through visualising  a set of boxes with some balls in. There if all the balls were in a single box so this would be nicely

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