The World's Largest Computer in 1951

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around historical and technical aspects of significant machines and vehicles, including the ENIAC computer and the Russian Ekranoplan. Participants engage in a quiz-like format, posing questions and providing hints about various inventions, their specifications, and historical context.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the ENIAC, detailing its size, weight, components, and power consumption, while noting its limited processing power compared to modern devices.
  • Another participant identifies the ENIAC as the machine described in the previous post.
  • Participants discuss a large vehicle that weighs 540 tons, can travel over land and water, and is hinted to be built in Russia, leading to speculation about its identity.
  • Some participants propose that the vehicle in question is the Russian Ekranoplan, explaining its design and operational principles related to ground effect.
  • There is a discussion about a vehicle that achieved over 188 miles per gallon, with participants speculating on its type and historical significance, including a mention of a Harley Davidson motorcycle from 1908.
  • One participant describes a crude device involving a wooden stand, a funnel, acid, and copper wire, prompting further questions about its purpose.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the identity of some machines, particularly the vehicle that achieved high fuel efficiency, as various guesses and clarifications are made. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specifics of some inventions and their historical context.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specifications and classifications of the vehicles discussed, particularly regarding the Ekranoplan's operational capabilities and the fuel efficiency claims of the motorcycle.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in the history of computing, engineering innovations, and the evolution of vehicle technology may find this discussion engaging.

wolram
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It was 10 feet tall, occupied 1,000 square feet of floor- space, weighed in at approximately 30 tons, and used more than 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 6,000 switches, and 18,000 vacuum tubes. The final machine required 150 kilowatts of power, which was enough to light a small town.
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what was it?
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
The ENIAC.
 
that was quick :smile:
 
Any more quiz questions? :biggrin:
 
A single link from one of its eight crawler tracks weighs three and a half tons. It stands 21 stories high and its ------ can lift 270 tons of dirt -- twice the weight of a blue whale. Four of these rigs would outweigh the Titanic
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what is it?
 
"its bucket"...
 
and what is the machine called?
 
Shouldn't I let others have a go? :wink:

M__i__    6__0
 
Shouldn't I let others have a go?
yes.
i will try to find something more difficult. :smile:
 
  • #10
its over 100 meters long
could travel over 400 km/hr
weighed 540 tons fully loaded
had 10 engines
could travel over land, water, snow, ice.
 
  • #11
wolram said:
its over 100 meters long
could travel over 400 km/hr
weighed 540 tons fully loaded
had 10 engines
could travel over land, water, snow, ice.

Mag-lev train? Don't know if it qualifies for the last criteria but I suppose that theoretically it could... might be difficult in practice though.
 
  • #12
sorry pergatory good guess.
Mag-lev train? Don't know if it qualifies for the last criteria but I suppose that theoretically it could... might be difficult in practice though.
hint... it was built in Russia and was tested on caspian sea.
 
  • #13
If it weren't for the 400 km/h I would say it was one of those big hovercraft like the one that crosses the channel from France to England.
 
  • #14
zoobyshoe said:
If it weren't for the 400 km/h I would say it was one of those big hovercraft like the one that crosses the channel from France to England.[/QUOTE
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close ZOOBY, but it doesn't hover it uses "ground effect",
 
  • #15
I don't know the name but I have seen the flight test. This craft uses a shock wave in much the same way that a hovercraft uses a cushion of air.

Very cool.

What is a molad.
 
  • #16
wolram said:
It was 10 feet tall, occupied 1,000 square feet of floor- space, weighed in at approximately 30 tons, and used more than 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 6,000 switches, and 18,000 vacuum tubes. The final machine required 150 kilowatts of power, which was enough to light a small town.

It had less processing power than a $5 pocket calculator.
 
  • #17
wolram said:
its over 100 meters long
could travel over 400 km/hr
weighed 540 tons fully loaded
had 10 engines
could travel over land, water, snow, ice.

The Russian Ekranoplan
The Russian Ekranoplan looks like an aircraft but it only flies a few metres above water. Translated the Russian name Ekranoplan means sea skimmer and this is exactly what the Ekranoplan does. The Ekranoplan is what is known as a Ground Effect Vehicle, it operates on the principle of wing in ground effect, where the air gap between a wing and the ground is small enough for the air to be compressed.

Born out of the Soviet Unions Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau it was developed by their chief designer Rostislav Alekseev. Several different Ekranoplan's were developed from 1961 to 1990. Since the fall of the Soviet Union many of the design team from the CHDB have formed a new company with plans to develop new craft for passenger and cargo usage. Also 11 small 5 passenger craft were constructed between 1995 and 1997, they were used in trial commercial operation in USA and the Bahamas...

...The largest Ekranoplan called the KM was built in 1967, it was dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster after the sea it was on when first seen by the west. It was almost twice the length of a Boeing 777-200 but as with all Ground Effect Craft it need only half the wingspan. At over 100 m long, weighing 540 tons fully loaded, the KM could travel over 400 km/h mere meters above the surface of the water. Once moving at speed, the Ekranoplan was no longer in contact with the water, and could move over ice, snow, or level land with equal ease.

The important design principle is that the wing lift reduces the further above the surface of land or sea that the ekranoplan "flies". Thus its dynamically stable in the vertical dimension.

These craft were originally developed by the Soviet Union as very high-speed (several hundred km/hour) military transports, and were mostly based on the shores of the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The largest
could transport over 100 tonnes of cargo. [continued]

http://www.gizmohighway.com/transport/ekranoplan.htm
 
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  • #18
So I'm not sure if I'm allowed a question but here is one that I think Wolram will like.

It was the first vehicle proven to get more than 188 miles per gallon.
 
  • #19
Ivan Seeking said:
So I'm not sure if I'm allowed a question but here is one that I think Wolram will like.

It was the first vehicle proven to get more than 188 miles per gallon.

_________________________________________________________________

What is a hotair balloon?
 
  • #20
  • #21
sorry i missed last few posts, 188mpg, this must be one of
these super light contraptions purpose built.
 
  • #22
no can't be some of those guys are getting over 400MPG, so a road
vehicle.
 
  • #23
this is a stinker, the best hybrids only achieve 70 ish MPG.
IVAN was this a "special" ?
 
  • #24
I'm not sure if I know what you mean by a special. Do you mean is this a special one-off of some sort? If so, no.

It is one of the following: car, truck, motorcycle, plane, train, or a boat.
"It should be specified according to the vehicle type [above] with the year of the test, and the manufacturer.

Hint: the actual number given is 188.234 mpg, but I would think that this must use too many significant digits.

Let me know if I should tell and pass.
 
  • #25
Also, I wasn't considering a hot air balloon as a vehicle so if I misstated the case, sorry about that. Maybe I should have said 188 powered mpg.. You can probably coast 200 miles downhill somewhere in the world so this wouldn't count.
 
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  • #26
Motorcycle, Harley Davidson, 1908
 
  • #27
a crude thing made of a wooden stand, a funnel, a cup of acid, and some copper wire - what was it?
 
  • #28
Evo said:
Motorcycle, Harley Davidson, 1908

Yay!

1908 Walter Davidson scores a perfect 1,000 points at the 7th Annual Federation of American Motorcyclists Endurance and Reliability Contest. Three days after the contest, Walter sets the FAM economy record at 188.234 miles per gallon. Word of Harley-Davidson's extremely tough motorcycle spreads rapidly.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/CO/HIS/en/history1900.asp?locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US

surprising isn't it?
 
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  • #29
Evo said:
a crude thing made of a wooden stand, a funnel, a cup of acid, and some copper wire - what was it?

a party: year 1969?
 
  • #30
Originally Posted by Evo
a crude thing made of a wooden stand, a funnel, a cup of acid, and some copper wire - what was it?

not a battery,not electro plating, something to catch the resulting
element from the reaction of acid and copper?
 

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