Computrs and modern communication

Computers are well known to represent a completely new branch of science, the first of them having appeared less than 60 years ago. Although still new, these machines are already bringing about a real revolution in science, technology, statistics and automatic control.

The reason for this is in the fact that a mathematical formula can be found for almost of all scientific and technical problems. They can be solved without a computer but it would require millions of arithmetical operations. No wonder that many problems of exceptional importance remained unsolved for a long time, the volume of the calculations required being above human possibilities.

Electronic computer with a high speed can carry out several thousand arithmetical operations in one second. A calculation, which would have taken several years of intense human work in the past, is now done in a few minutes or hours.

A number of various complicated¹ problems have already been solved with the help of computers.

The principle of this wonderful machine lies in counting electric impulses. Numbers are represented as a sequence of such impulses, and a radio-technical scheme counts them carrying out addition, subtraction, multiplication and division all higher mathematical calculations being reduced to these four operations.

If we introduce into the scheme first one number and then another, the result will yield the sum of these two numbers. Substraction is reduced to the addition of negative numbers. Multiplication is done by repeated addition the necessary number of times, a division — by repeated subtraction.

Electronic machines work according to a programme prepared in advance, which determines the sequence of operations. They have a very efficient electronic "memory" which stores the initial date, the intermediate numbers and final results as well as working commands given to the machine.

The electronic machine can also be used for controlling automatic production. Signals given by measuring instruments and controlling devices into the machine send the necessary commands to the control panel according to the programme.

This machine can also be used to make translations from one language into another by converting words into figures and vice versa².

All the instruments invented³ up to now have served to save man's labour. But it is electronic computers the importance of which cannot be underestimated, that come to the help of the human brain, thus opening boundless⁴ possibilities.

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