3 ms·

Your comment seems to be in conflict with this source: https://www.seas.upenn.edu/~jan/eniacproj.html https://www.seas.upenn.edu/~jan/eniacproj.html

theamk 6y ago
Our vocabulary is influenced by modern computers, where we use every possible bit state. The ENIAC does not really has this, so the definitions are ambiguous. For example, if you are talking about SLC flash or SETUN ternary (which actually have multiple voltage levels), then ENIAC is binary, as it is operating on only two voltage levels. But if you are talking about base-2^n math of the modern computers, then ENIAC does not have it either. In other words, a binary computer will have 2 possible bit states, 2^n possible byte values, and 2^(n*m) possible word values. For example, Z80 will have 2^8 byte values and 2^16 word values. A ternary computer will have 3 possible bit states, 3^n possible byte values, and (3^n)^m possible word values. ENIAC has 2 possible bit states, but a byte has only 10 possible values (which means that some combinations of bits do not form a valid byte). And a word has 10^m possible values. For more details, let's look at "A REPORT ON THE ENIAC (1946)" [0] from 1946. It is pretty interesting. The data transmission is in unary(!), see section "1.1.3. Representation of Digits by Pulses". There is a wire per byte which can have 2 voltage levels, and number of pulses corresponds to a number transmitted. The logic is classical binary, see "1.2.1.3. Gate Tube": > A gate tube emits a negative signal when both of its input grids are brought from a negative cut off voltage to a positive voltage. Thus, a gate tube is used to note the coincidence of two positive signals and hence corresponds to the logical "and". The data storage is in binary (or at least bi-state?), see section "1.2.2.1. Flip-Flops". Quote: > A flip-flop consists essentially of a pair of triodes so connected that at any given time only one of the pair can be conducting. When a certain one of the tubes is conducting (and the other is not), the flip-flop is said to be in the normal state; when the other tube is conducting (and the first is not), the flip-flop is in the abnormal state. The "byte" counters have ten bits (flip-flops), but only one can be on at a time. so the numbers are stored as 0000000001, 0000000010, 0000000100, etc... https://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/chap1.html https://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/chap1...
- anonymousiam 6y ago
  https://www.coursehero.com/file/p5n6do7/The-ENIAC-was-decimal-rather-than-a-binary-machine-That-is-numbers-were/ https://www.coursehero.com/file/p5n6do7/The-ENIAC-was-decima...

theamk 6y ago

Our vocabulary is influenced by modern computers, where we use every possible bit state. The ENIAC does not really has this, so the definitions are ambiguous. For example, if you are talking about SLC flash or SETUN ternary (which actually have multiple voltage levels), then ENIAC is binary, as it is operating on only two voltage levels. But if you are talking about base-2^n math of the modern computers, then ENIAC does not have it either. In other words, a binary computer will have 2 possible bit states, 2^n possible byte values, and 2^(n*m) possible word values. For example, Z80 will have 2^8 byte values and 2^16 word values. A ternary computer will have 3 possible bit states, 3^n possible byte values, and (3^n)^m possible word values. ENIAC has 2 possible bit states, but a byte has only 10 possible values (which means that some combinations of bits do not form a valid byte). And a word has 10^m possible values. For more details, let's look at "A REPORT ON THE ENIAC (1946)" [0] from 1946. It is pretty interesting. The data transmission is in unary(!), see section "1.1.3. Representation of Digits by Pulses". There is a wire per byte which can have 2 voltage levels, and number of pulses corresponds to a number transmitted. The logic is classical binary, see "1.2.1.3. Gate Tube": > A gate tube emits a negative signal when both of its input grids are brought from a negative cut off voltage to a positive voltage. Thus, a gate tube is used to note the coincidence of two positive signals and hence corresponds to the logical "and". The data storage is in binary (or at least bi-state?), see section "1.2.2.1. Flip-Flops". Quote: > A flip-flop consists essentially of a pair of triodes so connected that at any given time only one of the pair can be conducting. When a certain one of the tubes is conducting (and the other is not), the flip-flop is said to be in the normal state; when the other tube is conducting (and the first is not), the flip-flop is in the abnormal state. The "byte" counters have ten bits (flip-flops), but only one can be on at a time. so the numbers are stored as 0000000001, 0000000010, 0000000100, etc... https://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/chap1.html https://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/chap1...

anonymousiam 6y ago
https://www.coursehero.com/file/p5n6do7/The-ENIAC-was-decimal-rather-than-a-binary-machine-That-is-numbers-were/ https://www.coursehero.com/file/p5n6do7/The-ENIAC-was-decima...