You know, you remind me of an argument I always have with Pete
Welcher: is the student population binary-literate? If for no other
reason, I will point ou the significance of a one expressed as a
raised middle finger, as opposed to a raised fist as a zero.
Admittedly, there are variants, just as there are different storage
devices. A single upraised little finger is reserved "for those who
don't deserve the very best." A middle finger extended but held
horizontally is "for the horse you rode in on." The horizontal
middle finger moving up and down in a sinusoidal pattern suggests
"this is for the kangaroo that you came in with.:
>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=16313&t=14809
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