HOLLERITH CARD Meaning and
Definition
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A Hollerith card, also known as a punched card or IBM card, is a type of data storage medium and input/output device used in early computer systems. It was named after its creator, Herman Hollerith, an American inventor and statistician.
The Hollerith card consists of a rectangular piece of stiff paper or cardboard, typically measuring 7.375 inches by 3.25 inches. It features a series of small rectangular holes that are punched into predefined positions on the card using a special keypunch machine or other mechanical or electronic devices. These holes represent data or information that is encoded in a binary format.
Each Hollerith card is divided into multiple columns, with each column holding a specific type of data. Commonly used columns include the card sequence number, which provides a unique identifier for each card, and various data fields such as numeric, alphabetic, or special characters.
Hollerith cards were widely used for data storage, input, and output in early computer systems and automated machines, especially in the mid-20th century. They were used for tasks such as storing census data, processing payroll information, and conducting scientific research. The cards were typically read and processed by specialized machines called card readers, which translated the punched holes into electronic signals that the computer system could understand.
Although Hollerith cards became obsolete with the advent of more advanced storage and input/output technologies, their historic significance in the development of computing and data processing cannot be underestimated.
Common Misspellings for HOLLERITH CARD
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Etymology of HOLLERITH CARD
The term "Hollerith card" is derived from the surname of Herman Hollerith, an American statistician and inventor who is best known for inventing the punched card system. In the late 19th century, Hollerith developed a method of using punched cards to tabulate and process large amounts of data, which revolutionized information processing and laid the foundation for modern computer systems.
Herman Hollerith's invention was initially used for the 1890 United States Census, where it greatly expedited the data processing compared to previous manual methods. The punched cards used in this system became widely known as "Hollerith cards" or "Hollerith tabulating cards" in recognition of his contributions to the field. The pioneering work of Herman Hollerith played a crucial role in the development of early data processing and computing technologies.
