Although the emergence of electronic computers is only 60 years, its birth is the accumulation of hundreds of years of human efforts. As early as17th century, a group of European mathematicians began to develop computers. 1642, Pascal, a French mathematician who was only 19 years old, successfully manufactured the first mechanical computer with clock gears, but he could only do addition and subtraction. On this basis, the German mathematician Leibniz invented a computer that can do multiplication and division in 1678. However, the performance of these mechanical computers is too backward to meet people's needs. More than one hundred years later, British mathematician Babbage designed a more advanced computer at 1822. Unfortunately, the industrial level was limited at that time, and Babbage's design could not be realized.
In the next 100 years, mankind has made great progress in the fields of electromagnetism, electrotechnics and electronics, laying a solid foundation for the emergence of electronic computers. After the outbreak of World War II, the US Army Ordnance Department set up a "Ballistic Research Laboratory" in Aberdeen, Maryland to research and develop new artillery. The extremely heavy computing task is a headache for the researchers there. Although the laboratory hired more than 200 computing automation personnel faster, it is still stretched. They urgently need a new computer to improve their work efficiency. Just when people were at their wits' end, Dr. Moakley from Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania put forward the idea of trial-producing the first electronic computer. His idea attracted the Army Ordnance Department, which immediately asked Moore College to draft a development plan.
According to scientists' estimation, the cost of manufacturing an electronic computer was $6.5438+0.5 million, which was a huge sum at that time, so it was resolutely opposed by many people in the military. Seeing that the plan to develop an electronic computer is about to die, Dr. Wilbur, a famous American mathematician, firmly stood among the supporters, and he finally persuaded the US military. After more than two years of intense research and development, the first electronic computer finally came out in February 1946. Moreover, its development funds have increased several times, and finally reached 480 thousand dollars.