Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Post 5: John Vincent Atanasoff

For this posting you will research the background of John Vincent Atanasoff, “the forgotten father of the computer.” Some suggested areas include: his Childhood and Family; Student years; Student and Professor at Iowa State College; Invention of the Digital Computer, the ABC; Other inventions; Legal battle between ENIAC and ABC; Bulgarian ancestry. As always, don’t forget to list your sources.

3 comments:

Ko-Jung said...

John Vincent Atanasoff in Iowa

John Vincent Atanasoff studied his master degree and worked as a teacher assistant in the Iowa State College. Although he had a limited social life in his school life, he developed a close and life-long friendship with Dr. Brandt who is amiable and wise professor of mathematic and Professor Fred Brandner who is also a mathematic professor.
He is very concentrated on his master degree and teaching two mathematic classes to undergraduates which makes his no time for social life. However, The Dixie Club changed his life where he met his future wife, Lura Meeks, in the thanksgiving party. Lura Meeks, a home economics major from Oklahoma, is a beautiful girl with brown-hair, blue eye, attractive, slim, self-assure and three older than John Vincent. Lura likes to dance and join the party and she had many boyfriends while in Oklahoma, but she was waiting for someone who was really going to some place. Then Lura felt like she had found someone when she first met John in the club. They felt in love quickly because they both comes from farm homes, from large families, and both were interested in an education to improve their lot in life and to conceivably do a lot more.
John Atanasoff received his master’s degree in mathematic from Iowa State College in June 1926 and married Lura few days latter. In the midway of teaching in Montana, Lura made her sudden decision to marry John although she had signed a contract to tech in 1926-1927 school years. One year latter, their first daughter, Elsie, was born and they moved to Madison, Wisconsin for John’s doctoral degree after one year after Elsie born.
John entered halfway of semester of University of Wisconsin and turned down by Professor John Hasbrouck Van Vleck who teach theoretic physicist although accepted Professor Herman March, taught Elasticity, and Professor Warren Weaver, taught Electricity and Magnetism recommended by Professor E. R. Smith, head of the Mathematics Department of Iowa State. Then John Vincent prove his ability by making Professor Van Vleck as his major professor replaced latter by Professor Gregory Wentzel and work as a instructor in mathematic at university while completing his doctoral thesis. John spent a lot of time on a Monroe calculator; one of the most advanced calculating machines of the time, in working out the complicated mathematical problems related his doctoral thesis. Because of that, John Vincent interested in developing a better and faster computing machine, and determined to see what he could do about it after he received his Ph.D. in 1930.
As a member of assistant professor in mathematics and physics in Iowa State College faculty in fall of 1930, John saw a larger group of graduate student need for faster and more effective way of obtaining solution to complicated problems in higher mathematics. During the period examination the Monroe calculator and the IBM (International Business Machines) tabulator, John promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of both mathematics and physics and moved his office from the Mathematics Department in Beardshear Hall to the Physics Building where he had more room and an office by himself. Then John Vincent concluded that the calculating devices fell into two classes- analog and digital. Then Atanasoff engaged in his effort to construct a small analog calculator called” Laplaciometer” which considered as a success in holding the error down to the acceptable engineering standard in the period, but he regarded it as having the same flaws as previous analog devices. After that, Atanasoff turned to using electronics and electric impulses as the power media and measuring stick for a computer. While encountered many difficulties, Atanasoff finally come to a tentative conclusion that base-two would be the most practical for a number of reasons. The frustration of many months of work and study baffled Atanasoff. But, in an occasional ride, he never image that he would recall many times in the next fifty years.

Av DG said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Av DG said...

I believe we have talked at length about JV Atanasoff and I hope here are a few more points that you would find interesting.

A basement is not a likely place to build a great innovation but John Atanasoff and his graduate student Clifford Berry created the first electronic digital computer in the basement of the physics department at Iowa State University in 1939.

Atanasoff and Berry do not receive the proper recognition, at least from the general public, who have no idea that an electronic digital computer was created as early as 1939, nor that it was designed and built by physicists. It is amazing to think that the computer industry, now worth in the hundreds of billions of dollars, owes its existence to a brilliant physics professor and his talented graduate student, working away at Iowa State University with a $650 research grant (no typo error there), driven by their own curiosity to think, design, and build something truly novel. It is certain that they never dreamed their modest machine would have such a profound impact on the world. (http://www.physics.ucla.edu/~ianb/history/)

The vice president and director of information and public affairs for ISU, Carl Hamilton, started the wheels moving to create a film story on the construction of the Atanasoff-Berry Computer. The film "From One John Vincent Atanasoff" was completed in 1981. On 21 October 1983 (tenth anniversary of Judge Larson's historic decision that Iowa State was the site of the construction of the first electronic digital computer and that the ENIAC had been "derived" from the ABC), the film was released and during the celebration, held at the ISU campus, JV was given a Distinguished Achievement Citation by the Iowa State University Alumni Association. Cliff Berry's widow, Jean Berry, and his mother, Mrs. Grace Berry, were recognized as relatives of the co-inventor of the ABC. (http://www.scl.ameslab.gov/ABC/Biographies.html)

Atanasoff was given the National Medal of Technology in 1990 by U.S. President George. The National Medal of Technology is the highest honor awarded by the President of the United States to America’s leading innovators for their outstanding contributions to the Nation’s economic, environmental and social well-being through the development and commercialization of technology products, processes and concepts; technological innovation; and development of the Nation’s technological manpower. The purpose of the National Medal of Technology is to recognize those who have made lasting contributions to America's competitiveness, standard of living, and quality of life through technological innovation, and to recognize those who have made substantial contributions to strengthening the Nation’s technological workforce. By highlighting the national importance of technological innovation, the Medal also seeks to inspire future generations of Americans to prepare for and pursue technical careers to keep America at the forefront of global technology and economic leadership. (http://www.technology.gov/medal/
In any science field, there needs to be a person with the vision to define the future. John Vincent Atanasoff was a genius with such a vision. He developed the first electronic digital computer that has dramatically changed our lives. John Vincent Atanasoff gave birth to the field of electronic computing. In doing so, he also gave birth to a new era, an era of computers. The electronic age is the direct result of the invention of the computer. Never before in the history of humanity has there been an invention that grown so quickly as the computer has. Within the last twenty years, the speed and power of the computer has grown at an exponential rate. When John Vincent Atanasoff invented the computer, he probably did not know how much of an impact it would have on people's lives. Computers will be involved in every aspect of technology, and it will continue to be a part of technologies to come. The capabilities of computers are advancing every day. Soon, a computer will become more like the human brain than an electronic machine. Computers will take us to Mars, and get us back safely. Computers will always be on the edge of technology and anyone that learns to harness its power will be an important part of the future. Every aspect of our lives has changed because on the computer and its inventor, John Vincent Atanasoff. (http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/do_Atanasoff.html)