diff --git a/notes/2023-04-18.md b/notes/2023-04-18.md index 6ec72f8..e8bb383 100644 --- a/notes/2023-04-18.md +++ b/notes/2023-04-18.md @@ -117,6 +117,12 @@ between Springs and dampers, the mechanical things are used to build these mecha [timeline of computing](https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/) +### The Complex Number Calculator (CNC) (1940) + +The Complex Number Calculator (CNC) was a mechanical device invented by George R. Stibitz in 1940. It used electrical relays to perform complex arithmetic operations on binary-encoded complex numbers, allowing for faster and more accurate calculations than by hand or with analog computers. + + +The machine had two input registers, one for the real part of a complex number and another for the imaginary part. The output of the calculation was displayed on a series of light bulbs. The CNC was groundbreaking in its ability to perform complex arithmetic in real-time using a mechanical device and paved the way for the development of electronic digital computers. ### Model K Adder (1937)