IBM 701

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IBM 701

The IBM 701, introduced in 1952, was one of the first commercially successful scientific computers, known for its advanced architecture, including electrostatic storage tubes for memory and a floating-point arithmetic unit. It was widely used in scientific and engineering applications, including nuclear physics, weather forecasting, and cryptanalysis.

What does IBM 701 mean?

The IBM 701, also known as the Defense Calculator (DC), was a mainframe computer developed by IBM in the early 1950s. It was the First commercially available stored-program computer and played a significant role in the advancement of computer technology.

The 701 consisted of a central processing unit (CPU), magnetic tape drives, a card reader, and a printer. It used vacuum tubes as its main computing elements and had a memory capacity of Up to 2,048 words. Its instructions were stored in a magnetic core memory, allowing for faster and more efficient Operation than previous computers.

Applications

The IBM 701 had a wide range of applications in various fields, including:

  • Scientific research: Solving complex mathematical problems, such as those encountered in nuclear physics and fluid dynamics.
  • Business: Processing large amounts of data for financial analysis, inventory management, and payroll calculations.
  • Military: Performing calculations for ballistics, navigation, and radar systems.
  • Education: Facilitating research and teaching in mathematics, engineering, and other scientific disciplines.

The 701’s ability to perform repetitive calculations quickly and accurately made it a valuable tool in both research and industry. It was used by organizations such as the Los Alamos National Laboratory, General Motors, and the Ford Motor Company.

History

The IBM 701 was developed by a team led by Nathaniel Rochester and John von Neumann. It was based on the IAS machine, an experimental computer designed at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. The 701 was the First computer to implement von Neumann’s stored-program concept, where both data and instructions were stored in the same memory.

The first IBM 701 was installed at Columbia University in 1952. It was followed by approximately 20 other installations, mostly at universities and research labs. The 701 was replaced by the more advanced IBM 704 in the Mid-1950s, but it continued to be used for several years after its discontinuation.