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.

  • #1,681
arildno said:
Chewbacca?

and he is a ?
 
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  • #1,682
wolram said:
and he is a ?
Walking carpet.
 
  • #1,683
Bah, I found a Warwick canal. Warwick?
 
  • #1,684
He is a wookie.
 
  • #1,685
The Cheddar Gorge, Wookey Hole and caves.
 
  • #1,686
Wookie hole? OMG.
 
  • #1,687
Ah, we tied! Well, I guess I misspelled it. :frown:

BTW, Chewie isn't a main character! And Ewoks are the teddy bears!
 
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  • #1,688
I think it goes back to Olde or Middle English and therefore has numerous spellings, all of which are correct.
 
  • #1,689
http://www.wookey.co.uk/caves.htm

Somerset, in the South of England, is a land of mysteries. Here at Wookey Hole, where a river flows out of the underworld, pagan and Christian legends intermingle.

Here, too are mysteries of man himself. How did the early cavemen, who inhabited these caves, really live from day to day? And what makes a modern diver explore the caverns beyond the sunlight?


Even the earliest men who lived in the valley of Wookey Hole 50,000 years ago, hunting bear and rhinoceros with stone weapons, must have been in awe of the great caves for they had already existed for millions of years.

When, much later, the Celtic peoples of the Iron Age were moving into Britain, they found the caves a safe and even comfortable place to live - inside, the temperature is a constant 11° Celsius. Yet by the 15th century only bones, broken pottery and legends remained.

Then, in 1914 the archaeologist Herbert Balch, having completed a two year excavation of the caves, published his findings, and the age of real exploration had begun...

Visitors came to wonder at the secret river and its encrusted caverns. Perhaps Coleridge was inspired to write the lines: "Where Alph, the sacred river, ran,
Through caverns measureless to man"
 
  • #1,690
hitssquad said:
I think it goes back to Olde or Middle English and therefore has numerous spellings, all of which are correct.
Well, yours is listed first...
 
  • #1,692
The kitchen is The Witch’s Kitchen. The parlour is The Witch’s Parlour.
http://www.wookey.co.uk/parlour.htm
 
  • #1,693
  • #1,694
Interestingly, there is also a "Chew Magna" near the Cheddar Caves.
 
  • #1,695
honestrosewater said:
Ah, we tied! Well, I guess I misspelled it. :frown:

BTW, Chewie isn't a main character! And Ewoks are the teddy bears!

I can't make things to easy for intellects as big as yours :smile:
 
  • #1,696
wolram said:
well done. :smile:
Sort of. I'm still not clear on the relationship between the Cheddar Caves and Wookey Hole. I suppose that Wookey Hole is the answer, though.
 
  • #1,697
Cheddar Caves is a separate attraction from Wookey Hole. It is about 5 miles away. The clue was "cheesy area," so that refers to the fact that Cheddar Caves is nearby.
 
  • #1,698
hitssquad said:
Interestingly, there is also a "Chew Magna" near the Cheddar Caves.
I live in Bishops Itchington, there are places caled upper slaughter, upper
piddle, lower piddle, the list goes on, place names are a study.
 
  • #1,699
And I suppose that fact inspired George Lucas to borrow some of your names.
 
  • #1,700
hitssquad said:
And I suppose that fact inspired George Lucas to borrow some of your names.

Its your party hitssquad :smile:
 
  • #1,701
Here is an easy one:

http://www.efn.org/~callen/imageclue7
 
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  • #1,702
yellowstone.
 
  • #1,703
No. Here is another pic.

http://www.efn.org/~callen/imageclue8
 
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  • #1,704
Im not to good with volcanos, but this one must have been inactive for
a long time.
 
  • #1,705
wolram said:
I can't make things to easy for intellects as big as yours :smile:
Okay, I forgive you. :biggrin:
 
  • #1,706
Iceland?...
 
  • #1,707
No, Rose. Not Iceland.
 
  • #1,708
This volcano erupted in the twentieth century.
 
  • #1,709
honestrosewater said:
Okay, I forgive you. :biggrin:
Not me. :-p
That was a pretty dirty one for those of us who refuse to Google answers. By the way, the Chewie version of the name is spelled 'Wookiee'. :-p


Oh yeah, one more just on principle: :-p
 
  • #1,710
Is it in Alaska?
 

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