Issue 10: Tech from the Military

40 | ORIGINS
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The very first computer to solve differential
equations, called a Water Integrator, emerged
in 1936 from the Soviet Union. Vladimir Lukyanov
wanted to solve the problem of concrete
cracking. This involved calculating the material
properties of the concrete, the curing process,
and possible environmental conditions. Using a
series of interconnected water-filled glass tubes,
level markers provided numeric answers. Adjusting
the taps and plugs changed variables.
The results were considered more accurate than
solving the mathematical equations by hand.
The Water Integrator was used until 1980s to
solve large scale modeling and other problems
in geology, metallurgy, rocket science, and thermal
physics.
Also during 1936, Konrad Zuse, a German construction
engineer, invented a device to aide in
lengthy calculations. His device, the binary machine
named Z1, used three elements: a control,
a memory, and a calculator for arithmetic. The
prototype was used to develop floating-point
arithmetic, high capacity memory, and yes/no
command relays. In 1941, the Z3 launched from
www.knowyourorigins.org
donated recycled materials as the first electronic,
fully programmable digital computer based
on a binary-point number and switching system.
Old movie film was used to store the programs
and data due to paper shortage. A formal presentation
in 1946 was made before scientists of
the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt (German
Laboratory for Aviation), in Berlin.
In 1946, the high level programming language
Plankaikül, literally formal system for planning,
evolved out of the old movie film, which included
arrays, subroutines, conditional statements,
iteration, floating point arithmetic, hierarchical
record structures, assertions, exception handling,
and records used in a style of assignment.
An assignment stores the value of an expression
as a variable. The Nazi government believed victory
was at hand and ceased support for further
research. The language was not published until
a paper was published in 1948 Archiv der Mathematik.
Receiving little interest from the publication,
Plankalkül was not reintroduced until 1972 with