1947
by Burks, Arthur W.
1947. Burks, Arthur W. (1915-2008). Electronic computing circuits of the ENIAC. Offprint from Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers 35 (August 1947). 756-767pp. Text diagrams. Original printed self-wrappers. Lightly creased in one corner, small tear in first leaf, but very good. First Edition, Offprint Issue. Burks was a senior engineer on the team that developed the world's first general-purpose electronic computer, the ENIAC, which became operational in February 1946. Burks' paper, which was one of the first publication to discuss the computing circuits of an electronic computer, contains a discussion of the basic types of computing circuits used in the ENIAC, including memory circuits (flip-flops) and adding circuits (counters). "The ENIAC performs the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square-rooting, and the looking up of function values automatically. . . . The technique of combining the basic electronic circuits to perform these functions is illustrated by three typical computing circuits: the addition circuit, a programming circuit, and the multiplication circuit" (p. 756).Rare! See Origins of Cyberspace 512 for a later reprint of this paper. . (Inventory #: 45284)