In ancient India, binary numbers were used in music to classify meters.
African bush tribes sent messages via a combination of high and low pitches.
Australian aborigines and New Guinea Tribesman counted by two's.
In 1666, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz wrote the essay "De Arte Combinatoria"
which laid a method for expressing all things in the law of thought with
precision mathematics, including binary numbers. After reading the Chinese
"Book of Changes," or "I Ching," he refined his work and came to believe
that binary numbers represented Creation, the number one portraying God,
and zero depicting the Void.
In the 19th Century, British mathematician George Boole invented the system
of symbolic logic call Boolean algebra.
In 1867, Charles Sanders Peirce introduced Boolean algebra to the United
States.
In 1936, Claude Shannon, may he RIP, bridged the gap between algebraic
theory and practical application.
At least that's what I read on the Internet, so it must be true!? ;-)
Priscilla
P.S. I don't think the UNIVAC I was core either.
At 08:34 AM 8/16/01, Howard C. Berkowitz wrote:
> >That's what I meant Howard. I think I left out a few words as I do that
most
> >of the time. I think much quicker than I type.
> >
> >My understanding of this:
> >
> >All computer machines were decimal[base10] until the 40's. Atanasoff was
the
> >original one who suggested binary to be used instead of base10 to correct
> >the computational probems that existed in measuring current/voltage. In
> >those days with base10, one was a little current, two was a little more,
> >three a little more than that and so on and so on. It was not a very good
> >way to be accurate and was met with many failures. With the induction of
> >binary for current measureage, it became easy and computers were on their
> >way to being a successful marketing venture. One was on, zero was off.
Very
> >simple. But the original idea of the binary counting concept started with
> >Ada. Not in the computer sense, but in a general sense of numbers.
> >
> >Or at least that what I have read.
> >
> >Jenn
>
>
>It could have been that Ada, Lady Lovelace, did invent binary as a
>means of representation. There's no question that Boolean algebra,
>and logical binary operations, come from George Boole.
>
>I honestly don't know who made the suggestion of binary computer
>electronics. It had to have taken place before the invention of
>magnetic core memory, which is binary or, at best, ternary. Before
>core, there were essentially analog storage devices like specialized
>CRTs (storage as light) or mercury delay lines (storage as
>vibrations).
>
>Now I'm trying to remember what was the first fully core-based
>machine. I want to say the ATLAS* in the UK, but I'm not sure.
>UNIVAC I was commercial, but I don't think it was core based. The
>first commercial core machine might have been a later UNIVAC or
>possibly the IBM 701. The IBM 650 -- and I actually worked in the
>same computer room as one still chugging away before it was
>successfully emulated -- used a magnetic head-per-track disk (called
>a drum) as main memory. (It was the first computer that produced the
>Consumer Price Index, one of those applications that HAD to work).
>
>
>*our UK list members expecially should learn something about the
>history of the ATLAS, which was done at an English university and
>pioneered a great number of computer innovations, such as interrupts.
>It never gets the historical credit it should.
>
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Howard C. Berkowitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> >Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 4:23 AM
> >To: Jennifer Cribbs; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >Subject: RE: Friday Funnie #2, Couldn't let this one go by!! [7:14809]
> >
> >
> >Not serious, but the intellectual credit here goes to George Boole--as in
> >"boolean arithmetic." Babbage/Lovelace machines were decimal.
> >
> >
> >
> >At 02:01 PM 8/3/2001 -0400, Jennifer Cribbs wrote:
> >>Is this serious?
> >>
> >>I was under the impression that Ada Lovelace invented the binary counting
> >>system. I was also under the impression that John Atanasoff came up with
> >>the brilliant coding system that expressed everything in terms of two
> >>numbers for the methodology of measuring the current or lack of current
in
> >>regards to computers way back in the 40's.
> >>
> >>Before that everyone kept trying to incorporate the base10 system in
> >>computers, which was a major headache and unsuccessfull, but that was in
> >the
> >>vacuum tube days.
> >>
> >>hmmm. Surely Microsoft doesn't think they can do this..Maybe this is a
> >joke
> > >however and I am just too d*** serious.
> > >
> > >Jenn
________________________
Priscilla Oppenheimer
http://www.priscilla.com
Message Posted at:
http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=16308&t=14809
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