4 ms·
For those interested, the first Monte Carlo program, which ran on the ENIAC, has been found and documented (840 instructions long). It was also the first stored
by rahen 4y ago
For those interested, the first Monte Carlo program, which ran on the ENIAC, has been found and documented (840 instructions long). It was also the first stored program ever run.
https://eniacinaction.com/the-articles/3-los-alamos-bets-on-eniac-nuclear-monte-carlo-simulations-1947-8/ https://eniacinaction.com/the-articles/3-los-alamos-bets-on-...
https://eniacinaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/LosAlamosBetsOnENIAC.pdf https://eniacinaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/LosAlam...
- mturmon 4y agoThank you for these links! I do a lot of scientific computation using MC and MCMC. It’s great to read that history and see the care they invested in their flow diagrams, the versions that got more capable, etc.
- rahen 4y agoYes, considering this program ran from April 1947, it can almost be considered computer archeology. I find it fascinating they already came up with labels and functions. The ENIAC is a fascinating machine as well, from its initial modular, parallel, dataflow layout to an actual CPU running code a couple years later. I wish the Wikipedia article would dive more into the birth of its processor. Interestingly, the French article is the most exhaustive regarding this topic.