The World's Largest Computer in 1951

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the ENIAC, the world's first general-purpose electronic computer, which stood 10 feet tall, occupied 1,000 square feet, and weighed approximately 30 tons. It utilized over 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 6,000 switches, and 18,000 vacuum tubes, consuming 150 kilowatts of power. Additionally, the conversation shifts to the Russian Ekranoplan, a Ground Effect Vehicle developed by Rostislav Alekseev, which could travel over 400 km/h and weighed 540 tons fully loaded. The Ekranoplan was designed for military transport and could carry over 100 tonnes of cargo.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electronic components such as resistors and capacitors
  • Familiarity with the concept of Ground Effect Vehicles
  • Knowledge of military transport technologies
  • Basic historical context of computing technology development
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the technical specifications and historical significance of the ENIAC
  • Explore the design and operational principles of Ground Effect Vehicles
  • Investigate the military applications of the Ekranoplan
  • Learn about the evolution of computing technology post-ENIAC
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for historians, technology enthusiasts, and engineers interested in the evolution of computing and transport technologies, particularly those focused on military applications and early electronic devices.

  • #1,621
hypatia said:
I was thinking along the lines of the frequency modulation in radio waves..lol so I must be wayyyy off.

No, not FM.
 
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  • #1,622
mattmns said:
Wolram can have this turn, I got my answer from his idea.

that yes was for Danger, not you. :smile:

...he called me a tease.
 
  • #1,623
de Broglie's matter waves?
 
  • #1,624
Ohh lol, sorry about that!
 
  • #1,625
Danger said:
de Broglie's matter waves?

No.

Okay, I came up with an abstract clue:

In the sense of this "what was it", in order to see how we got the cat, you first have to think like a dog.
 
  • #1,626
Whatever you do (Ivan), don't give the answer away. I'm going to give this a serious shot when
I'm freer, if it's still alive then.
 
  • #1,627
Ivan Seeking said:
you first have to think like a dog.
Jasper Krenshaw's 'butt-sniffing waves'?
 
  • #1,628
Gokul43201 said:
Whatever you do (Ivan), don't give the answer away. I'm going to give this a serious shot when
I'm freer, if it's still alive then.


Okay. This is a good one. I'll hold out for a correct answer.

No, not butt-sniffing waves, but I almost used that one! :biggrin:
 
  • #1,629
lol@not butt-sniffing waves

dang weather sirens are on...but I don't want to shut this down
 
  • #1,630
hypatia said:
dang weather sirens are on...but I don't want to shut this down



Ummm, I promise not to delete anything. Please take shelter now.
 
  • #1,631
mattmns said:
Wolram can have this turn, I got my answer from his idea.
How nobel.

A place in the uk that sounds like a star wars character, and a void

best i can come up with at short notice.
 
  • #1,632
Clue me again wolram!
 
  • #1,633
I have to leave for a while, so here are all of the clues given for my question thus far.

This may have contributed fundamentally to the evolution of Quantum Mechanics. We will never know for sure to what extent this is true, but it does seem that the cat is out of the bag.

Keywords:
Coupled
time-dependence
Snow
Wave
Brrrrrrrrr...
Bed
Inspiration
Alps
Christmas and New Year's, 1925-26.
Couple

This preceeded Schrödinger's famous paper. To say that his paper was the effect of this is not really accurate. I should have said that his paper followed. A direct cause and effect determination is not possible. But many suspect...

an abstract clue: In the sense of this "what was it", in order to see how we got the cat, you first have to think like a dog.
 
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  • #1,634
the Bohr Festival?
 
  • #1,635
Erwin Schrödinger, one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century, used sexual activity as an arousal device for inventing "thought experiments." Schrödinger took his mistress and ascended into the Alps over Christmas and New Year's, 1925-26, to think about a wave equation for matter and, reputedly, to spend all his time in bed. When he descended again in early January, he had developed wave mechanics, which, together with Werner Heisenberg's matrix mechanics, became the foundation of modern quantum theory. Schrödinger's paper on this subject is the most cited scientific paper of the twentieth century. He had apparently combined the physiological with emotional, and harnessed a brainstorm of heightened awareness. Schrödinger also wrote a book called What is Life?, a speculation on the physical basis of biology that is widely regarded among scientists as one of the most influential books of the century.
 
  • #1,636
:smile:
How'd we get the cat? Think dog! :smile:
 
  • #1,637
Nice, Mk. Guess it's your turn now ...
 
  • #1,638
Someone take it, I'm leaving for a while.
 
  • #1,639
There's Wolram's hint :
wolram said:
A place in the uk that sounds like a star wars character, and a void
 
  • #1,640
A coupled couple. :biggrin: And I'll bet you were thinking of regular ole coupled oscillators.

Leon Lederman of Fermilab talks about this in one of The Discovery Channel science programs.
 
  • #1,641
brewnog said:
Clue me again wolram!

This place has a kitchen, and a canal.
 
  • #1,642
A watery axe.
 
  • #1,643
wolram said:
A watery axe.
Is that a clue or an obscure answer? If a clue, the only thing that I can think of is a 'Jet Axe' (I think that's the brand name). It uses a high-explosive shaped charge to blast a water jet for cutting walls and such-like where straight explosives wouldn't be safe. Mostly used by fire rescue squads.
 
  • #1,644
You are totally wrong, Danger; it is a reference to the place name Soggy Hatchet, a hill-billy town in Arkansas.
 
  • #1,645
arildno said:
it is a reference to the place name Soggy Hatchet, a hill-billy town in Arkansas.
Dang! I knew that I shouldn't have slept so much during Geography class.
 
  • #1,646
Danger said:
Dang! I knew that I shouldn't have slept so much during Geography class.
In case you didn't know, the leading family in Soggy Hatchet is the Hogfnorts, with the Dungbottoms as a close second.
 
  • #1,647
arildno said:
In case you didn't know, the leading family in Soggy Hatchet is the Hogfnorts, with the Dungbottoms as a close second.
It's coming back to me now, but not from Geography. It seems to me that the cover blurb on one of my 'Molly Hatchet' albums refers to their home town...
 
  • #1,648
Yep, Molly was the daughter of Sally and Burt Hogfnort. She had to run away when her parents found out she carried on with Terry Dungbottom. A sad story, really..
 
  • #1,649
Its a place in the uk.
it has a kitchen.
it has a canal.
it has a parlour.
it sounds like a star wars character and a void.
watery axe.
 
  • #1,650
Hm, do you pronounce Bath like Hoth? Oh, how 'bout Leek?
 
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