Transcript Slide 1

John Vincent Atanasoff
(1903 - 1995)
ADVENT OF THE ELECTRONIC DIGITAL
COMPUTING
Kiril Boyanov
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Milestones of digital computing
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Ancient Abacus 3000 - 1800 B.C.
Blaise Pascal Computer – 1642
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz Computer – 1673
Charles Babbage computer – 1830
Herman Hollerith tabulating machine – 1890
Konrad Zuse electromechanical binary calculating
machine – 1931
All these machines are based on mechanical carrier of digital
information. No one dared to entrust on carriers other then
mechanical one.
Basic concepts of digital computers
The first man changed the traditional schema
and replace mechanics with electronics was
John Atanasoff in1939.
In July 1945 Dr. John von Neumann
proposed :
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Stored program concept
Paralell mode of storage (storage tube)
Parallel procedure in the arithmetic unit, i.e.
parallel machine
The era of digital computing was started.
John Vincent Atanasoff
(circa 1925)
John Vincent Atanasoff
(circa 1983)
Personal Data
 Born on 4 October 1903 in Hamilton, N.Y.
 His father Ivan Atanasov was a Bulgarian
immigrant since 1889, electrical engineer.
 His mother was Iva Lucena Purdy, a
mathematics schoolteacher.
 In 1926, John Vincent and Lura Meeks were
married.
 Dr. John Vincent Atanasoff died 15 June 1995
of a stroke at his home in Monrovia, Md. He
was 91 years old.
John Vincent Atanasoff
father’s home in Bulgaria
Educational background
 Graduated from the University of Florida in
1925 with a Bachelor of Science degree in
electrical engineering
 In 1926 he received his master's degree in
mathematics from Iowa State College
 In 1930 he received a Ph.D. as a theoretic
physicist at the University of Wisconsin
 Associate professor of mathematics and
physics at Iowa State College in 1936
Professional Experience
 Iowa State College, Mathematics, Graduate
Assistant and Instructor, 1926-29
 University of Wisconsin, Mathematics,
Instructor, 1929-30
 Iowa State College, Mathematics and
Physics, Assistant Professor, 1930-36
 Associate Professor, 1936-42
 Professor in Absentia, 1942-45
Professional Experience (continued)
 Naval Ordnance Lab., Washington, D.C.,
Chief, Acoustics Section, 1942-1945
 The Ordnance Engineering Corp., Frederick,
MD, Founder, President, Director, 1959-61
 Cybernetics, Inc., Frederick, MD, President,
1961-80
 Stewart-Warner Corp., Consultant, 1961-63
 Control Data Corp., Consultant 1967-71
 Honeywell, Consultant, 1967-71
Honors and Awards
 U.S. Navy Distinguished Service Award
(Navy's highest honor awarded to civilians),
1945
 Citation, Seismological Society of America,
1947
 Citation, Admiral, Bureau of Ordnance, 1947
 Cosmos Club membership, 1957
 Order of Cyril and Methodius, First Class,
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Bulgaria's
highest honor accorded a scientist), 1970
Honors and Awards (continued)
 Iowa Inventors Hall of Fame; Plaque, Iowa State
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University Physics Building, 1974
Honorary Membership, Society for Computer
Medicine, 1974
Doctor of Science, Moravian College, 1981
Distinguished Achievement Citation, Iowa State
University Alumni Association, 1983
Order of Peoples Republic of Bulgaria 1st class
Doctor of Science, Western Maryland College;
National Medal of Technology given by President
George Bush, 1990
The Invention of Digital Computer
 After examining many mathematical devices available at the
time, Atanasoff concluded that they fell into two classes--analog
and digital (what he called "computing machines proper“).
 He believed that analog devices were too restrictive and could
not get the type of accuracy he wanted. The idea of building an
electronic digital computer came to him while he was sitting in a
tavern (he had a drink of bourbon).
 As Dr. Atanasoff worked on his computer project, he asked a
colleague to recommend a graduate student to assist him with
his project. The graduate student that was introduced to him
was Clifford Berry.
 From 1939 until 1941 they worked at developing and improving
the ABC, Atanasoff-Berry Computer
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)
was the first electronic digital computer
Clifford Berry with the ABC (1942)
Photo of completed replica of ABC
The original
ABC was
dismantled
decades ago.
Ames
Laboratory,
using private
funding, builds
a working
replica of this
historically
important
invention.
The ABC pictures
 FOREGROUND:
Newly constructed
base two punch
drive electronics.
 BACKGROUND:
Newly constructed
base two punch
high voltage
transformer
chassis.
The ABC pictures (continued)
 FOREGROUND: Old
parts acquired for
construction of ABC
(note vacuum tubes
and connector from
the 1940s, telephone
switches and panel
meter).
 BACKGROUND:
Newly constructed
parts
The ABC pictures (continued)
The only surviving fragment
of the original ABC built in
1939. This drum holds 30
numbers of 50 bits each.
(Two of the columns are
spares). They are operated
on in parallel. It is the first
use of the idea we now call
"DRAM" - use of capacitors
to store 0s and 1s,
refreshing their state
periodically.
The ABC pictures (continued)
Close
view of
base
two
punch
/reader
from left
of
frame.
The ABC pictures (continued)
FOREGROUND: Newly
constructed AddSubtract Module (ASM)
showing seven vacuum
tubes (6C8).
BACKGROUND:
Bottom view of newly
constructed ASM being
tested with connection
to model computer.
Diagram of ABC computer
Block diagram of ABC computer
 Each of the two drum
Drum
#2
(ka)
30
30
ASM’s
30
Drum
#1
(ca)
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30
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30
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Card Reader
Card Puncher
memories (Drum #1 and
Drum #2) stores
30 numbers by 50 bits
Each drum memory
contains 30 disks with 50
capacitors
ACM is a serial AddSubtract Module
In the ABC there are 30
independent ACM’s for
each couple of drum
memory numbers
The first computer is also
the first realization of the
SIMD (Single Instruction
Multiple Data) concept.
Dr. Atanasoff’s four principles for
electronic digital computer
 He would use electricity and electronics as
the medium for the computer.
 In spite of custom, he would use base-two
numbers (the binary system for his computer.
 He would use condensers for memory and
would use a regenerative or "jogging"
process to avoid lapses that might be caused
by leakage of power.
 He would compute by direct logical action
and not by enumeration as used in analog
calculating devices. (Mollenhoff, 34)
Dr. Atanasoff - the inventor of the
electronic digital computer
 In 1940 Dr. Mauchly wanted to see the ABC for
himself and Dr. Atanasoff agreed.
 Dr. Mauchly later used many of Dr. Atanasoff's ideas
in the design of the ENIAC, that was falsely
considered as the world's first electronic digital
computer designed by Dr. Mauchly and Dr. Eckert.
 Charges of piracy were later brought against Dr.
Mauchly, co-inventor of the ENIAC. U.S. District
Judge Earl R. Larson ruled that the ENIAC was
"derived" from the ideas of Dr. Atanasoff.
 When the trial finally ended, Dr. Atanasoff was given
credit as the inventor of the electronic digital
computer.
The facts about trial
1967 Charles Gall – the first lawyer of Honeywell
controversy Sperry Corporation over ENIAC
patents. Allan Kirkpatrick would do the early
interview and deposition work for Control Data.
1968 Lawyers for Honeywell and control Data issued
subpoenas for all the relevant records from the
files of Sperry Rand, IBM and Moore School
Electrical Engineering.
1968 The jurisdiction was finally placed in Minnesota
and Earl B. Larson took the jurisdiction.
1971 On June, 1st Earl Larson starts the trial.
1973 On October 19th Publication of the decision.
Excerpt from trial verdict
3.1
3.1.2
3.1.3
3.1.12
The subject matter of one or more claims of ENIAC was derived
from Atanasoff, and the invention claimed in the ENIAC was derived from
Atanasoff.
Eckert and Mauchly did not themselves first invent the automatic
electronic digital computer, but instead derived that subject matter
from one Dr. John Vincent Atanasoff.
Although not necessary to the finding of derivation of “the invention” of
ENIAC patent, Honeywell has proved that the claimed subject matter of
the ENIAC patent on in support of the counterclaim herein is not
patentable over the subject matter derived by Mauchly from Atanasoff. As
a representative example, Honeywell has shown that the subject matter
of detailed claims 88 and 89 of ENIAC patent corresponds to the work of
Atanasoff which was known to Mauchly before any effort pertinent to
ENIAC machine or patent began.
In December, 1940, Atanasoff first met Mauchly while attending a
meeting of American Association for the Advancement of Science
in Philadelphia, and generally informed Mauchly about computing
machine which was under construction at Iowa State College. Because of
Mauchly’s expression of interest in the machine and its principles,
Atanasoff invited Mauchly to come to Ames, Iowa, to learn more about
the computer.
The Road to the Digital Future
When John Vincent Atanasoff invented the computer,
he probably did not know how much of an impact it
would have on people's lives. Computers will be
involved in every aspect of technology, and it will
continue to be a part of technologies to come. The
capabilities of computers are advancing every day.
Computers will always be on the edge of technology
and anyone that learns to harness its power will be
an important part of the future. Every aspect of our
lives has changed because on the computer and its
inventor, John Vincent Atanasoff.
REFERENCES
 Clark R. Mollenhoff, Atanasoff, Forgotten Father of the
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Computer, ISU Press, 1988.
http://www.scl.ameslab.gov/ABC/Biographies.html
http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/do_Atanasoff.html (Hien Chris Do)
http://www.scl.ameslab.gov/ABC/Trial.html
Atanasoff, J.V., Computing Machine for the Solution of Large
Systems of Linear Algebraic Equations, The Origins of Digital
Computers, Selected Papers. Randell (ed.), New York, SpringerVerlag, 1973, Chapter 7.2.
Blagovest Sendov, John Atanasoff ,The Electronic Prometheus,
St.Kliment Ohridski University Press, Sofia 2003