Topic > The Eniac project: its meaning in information technology and society

In 1939, when World War II broke out, the United States was severely technologically disabled. Therefore, the government placed great emphasis on the development of electronic technology that could be used in battle. It started out as a simple machine. It would help the army in calculating the tables for the artillery, in the end, the end result was the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In 1942, a physicist named John Mauchly proposed an all-electronic calculating machine. Meanwhile, the US Army needed to calculate wartime involute ballistic tables. The proposal met the patron. The result was the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer), built between 1943 and 1945, the first considerably bulky scale computer to run at electronic speed without being slowed down by any mechanical component. For a decade, until the lightning strike of 1955, ENIAC may have performed more calculations than all of humanity had done up to that point. This revolutionary piece of equipment measured approximately 1500 square feet; the ENIAC was one of the most complex electrical systems ever built at the time. Technically speaking, this was the first computer, however it was not the first computer. The basic element that makes up a computer is the ability to store and process data and there is nothing in the world that can do it better than Homo sapiens. Until 1943, we were the ones who had to calculate and process numbers using our mental abilities without the use of any technological devices. This meant that all information needed for daily activities had to be placed in or around the organization, including any type of books, documents and general information. Each person had to be there with their own computer, figuring out what's the fastest and most efficient way to access the information they need and consolidate it into something they could use. Once completed, the ENIAC could solve such a complex problem in 30 seconds. ENIAC has been used quite often by the military but has never provided spectacular or necessary data. The main significance of the ENIAC was that it was an incredible achievement in computing and can be considered the first digital, personal computer. ENIAC was also important for social reasons. For the first time in the American workplace, women were allowed to work alongside men in programming. Although history gives them little credence, women have gained equal status among men, necessitated by the dire situation created by World War II. The origins of the ENIAC project lie within the Moore School at the University of Pennsylvania. The Army Ordnance Department was responsible for organizing and preparing the shooting and bombing tables for the Air Force. These tables would be given to artillery units and aircraft pilots to calculate the force and trajectory needed for their projectiles. These calculations took into account several factors which were all put together into one huge equation that would provide the appropriate useful data Harry Reed, who worked on the ENIAC, said: "This contains a lot of things starting from the distance , the elevation you would be shooting at, and a lot of things that would tell you how you would have to change things if the wind blew or if there was thicker air or whatever. The Department was looking for a reliable calculator that could convert different factors in..