EDSAC Meaning and
Definition
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EDSAC stands for "Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator." It was one of the earliest electronic digital stored-program computers, developed and built at the University of Cambridge, England in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
EDSAC was designed by a team led by Sir Maurice Wilkes, and it was operational in 1949, becoming the first complete and operational stored-program computer in the world. The machine utilized vacuum tubes and mercury delay lines for its memory storage.
EDSAC introduced several innovative features for its time, including the binary format of its instructions, the concept of programming and debugging by using symbolic names instead of numerical addresses, and the implementation of subroutines. These concepts became fundamental in the development of computer science and the design of subsequent computers.
EDSAC was primarily used for scientific calculations and played a significant role in various research projects. It aided the calculation of mathematical tables, supported research in fields like nuclear physics, and contributed to the understanding of a wide range of scientific problems.
The success of EDSAC led to the construction of several other similar computers in the UK and influenced later computer designs worldwide. Although it was eventually dismantled in 1958, EDSAC's impact on the field of computer science remains profound, as it contributed to the advancement and popularization of electronic digital computing.
Common Misspellings for EDSAC
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