History of Computers part 5 BBC Documentary.mp4
Summary
TLDRThe video script narrates the transformative impact of early computing on the banking industry with the introduction of Irma, a machine that automated check processing and significantly increased efficiency. It discusses the evolution of computing from valve-based systems to transistors, which enabled the creation of smaller, more efficient computers like the Atlas. The advent of the integrated circuit (IC) revolutionized electronics by reducing size and cost while increasing reliability, exemplified by its critical role in NASA's Apollo 11 mission. The script highlights the shift from manual labor to technology-driven solutions and the emergence of Silicon Valley as a global electronics hub.
Takeaways
- 😲 The introduction of magnetic characters on checks revolutionized banking by automating data processing, leading to the creation of machines like Irma that were over 100 times faster than human bookkeepers.
- 💼 Despite fears of job displacement due to automation, new roles emerged within banks to manage the outputs and inputs of systems like Irma, demonstrating a shift in job nature rather than a total loss.
- 📈 The 1950s saw a boom in manufacturing, particularly in valves, which were essential components for early computers, indicating the rapid growth of the technology sector.
- 🏆 The transistor, a pivotal invention of the 20th century, replaced the bulky vacuum tubes in computers, leading to significant advancements in computing technology and earning its inventors the Nobel Prize.
- 🚀 The development of the transistorized computer, such as the Atlas, highlighted the need for smaller, more efficient components, which were crucial for space exploration and military applications.
- 🔄 The 'tyranny of numbers' problem, caused by the complexity of wiring numerous components, was addressed by the invention of the integrated circuit, which simplified and miniaturized electronic systems.
- ⚙️ The integrated circuit, or microchip, was initially met with skepticism by computer firms due to its radical nature and high cost, but its potential was eventually recognized, especially for space and military applications.
- 🌟 The integrated circuit's ability to be mass-produced led to a dramatic decrease in cost and an increase in reliability, making it a game-changer for the electronics industry.
- 📉 The cost of integrated circuits dropped significantly over time, with the number of components doubling annually, illustrating the rapid pace of technological advancement in the electronics sector.
- 🌕 The success of the Apollo 11 mission, which relied on an onboard computer built with integrated circuits, showcased the reliability and importance of this technology in high-stakes applications.
Q & A
What was the key feature of Irma that allowed it to be read by machines?
-Irma had magnetic characters printed on it, which allowed it to be read automatically by machines.
How did Irma's introduction affect the speed of banking operations?
-Irma was more than 100 times faster than the best human bookkeeper and virtually error-free, significantly increasing the speed of banking operations.
What were some of the new jobs created in the bank due to Irma?
-New jobs created included handling reports from Irma centers and preparing work for Irma centers, which were less tedious than bookkeeping.
Why were valves important during the 1950s?
-Valves were important because they were the main component that made computers possible, and computers consumed valves as fast as they could be manufactured.
What was the significance of the transistor for computer technology?
-The transistor was a tiny electronic component that could replace the vacuum tube as the main switching element in a computer circuit, making computers smaller, lighter, and more efficient.
Who were the inventors of the transistor and what recognition did they receive?
-The inventors of the transistor were Walter Brattain, John Bardeen, and William Shockley, who won the Nobel Prize in 1956.
What problem did the integrated circuit solve in computer manufacturing?
-The integrated circuit solved the 'tyranny of numbers' problem by eliminating the need to hand wire large numbers of electronic components together.
What was the role of the integrated circuit in the Apollo 11 mission?
-The onboard computer for the Apollo 11 mission, which was built from integrated circuits, was crucial for maneuvering the spacecraft into orbit and was the smallest computer in the world at the time.
How did the integrated circuit impact the electronics industry and its cost?
-The integrated circuit allowed for mass production, which led to a significant decrease in cost and an increase in performance, reliability, and miniaturization of electronics.
What was the nickname given to the region in California that became the center of the electronics industry?
-The region in California that became the center of the electronics industry was aptly named Silicon Valley.
What was the ultimate test of the integrated circuit's reliability as described in the script?
-The ultimate test of the integrated circuit's reliability was during the Apollo 11 mission when the spacecraft lost contact with Mission Control and relied on the onboard computer to maneuver into orbit.
Outlines
💾 The Advent of Automated Bookkeeping and the Birth of Irma
The paragraph discusses the introduction of automated bookkeeping through machines like Irma, which significantly increased the speed and accuracy of financial record-keeping. Irma was over 100 times faster than human bookkeepers and virtually error-free, leading to the displacement of thousands of bookkeeping jobs. However, this technological advancement also created new roles within the banking sector, such as handling reports and preparing work for Irma centers. The paragraph highlights the transformative impact of computers like Irma on the nature of work, and how despite some job displacements, new opportunities emerged during prosperous times in Britain and America. It also touches on the fear of computers replacing human workers, which subsided as employment continued to rise.
🚀 The Transistor Revolution and the Rise of Integrated Circuits
This paragraph delves into the transistor, a tiny electronic component that revolutionized the computer industry. Invented by Walter Brattain, John Bardeen, and William Shockley, the transistor was a significant improvement over the vacuum tube, being smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient. The transistor enabled the creation of the first transistorized computer, which was a massive leap from the valve computers of the time. The paragraph also discusses the development of the integrated circuit, which was a game-changer in electronics by allowing multiple components to be manufactured on a single piece of silicon. This innovation solved the 'tyranny of numbers' problem, where the complexity of wiring increased with the number of components. The integrated circuit's ability to miniaturize and simplify the manufacturing process led to a dramatic reduction in cost and an increase in reliability, paving the way for the electronics industry's exponential growth and the transformation of Silicon Valley into a global electronics hub.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Magnetic Characters
💡Irma
💡Magnetic Tape
💡Transistor
💡Integrated Circuit (IC)
💡Tyranny of Numbers
💡Silicon
💡Silicon Valley
💡Apollo 11
💡Reliability
💡Mass Production
Highlights
Magnetic characters on checks could be read automatically by machines, which was a key innovation.
Irma, a machine, was over 100 times faster than the best human bookkeeper and virtually error-free.
Irma's introduction led to the creation of new jobs within the bank, such as handling reports and preparing work.
The 1950s saw unprecedented growth in the manufacturing industry, driven by the demand for valves in computers.
The transistor, a tiny electronic component, was considered the most important invention of the 20th century.
The first transistorized computer was produced in 1956, the same year the Nobel Prize was awarded to the inventors of the transistor.
The transistor was much smaller and more efficient than the vacuum tube, making it ideal for computer circuits.
The ATLAS, built in 1962, was the most powerful transistorized computer in the world at the time.
The tyranny of numbers problem was a challenge in connecting thousands of components, until the integrated circuit was invented.
The first manufacturable integrated circuit was produced by Fairchild Semiconductor in California.
Integrated circuits solved the tyranny of numbers problem by allowing components to be made and wired together in one process.
Computer firms initially showed little interest in integrated circuits due to their radical nature and high cost.
NASA and the Pentagon recognized the potential of integrated circuits for building small, lightweight computers for space travel.
The mass production of integrated circuits led to a significant reduction in cost and an increase in reliability.
The integrated circuit's impact was compared to the printing press, allowing for cheap mass reproduction of electronic designs.
The electronics industry's growth was so rapid that it was likened to an automobile industry that could produce cars that were faster, more efficient, and cheaper.
Silicon Valley emerged as the electronics capital of the world, with a high concentration of electronics firms in a small area.
The Apollo 11 mission relied on an onboard computer built from integrated circuits, demonstrating their reliability.
The success of the Apollo 11 mission highlighted the importance of integrated circuits in space travel and computing.
Transcripts
magnetic characters printed on the
checks could be read automatically by
machines this was the key to Irma's high
speed and account information was
transferred to Reels of magnetic
tape the bank was delighted Irma was
more than 100 times faster than the best
human bookkeeper and virtually error
free now we think that Irma displaced
thousands of bookkeepers well we created
other jobs within the bank because of
Irma I mean somebody had to handle all
the reports coming back from the Irma
centers somebody had to prepare the work
going to the Irma centers there were
other jobs that were created that
weren't quite as boring and tedious as
being a
bookkeeper computers like Irma did
change the nature of people's work and
some jobs were eliminated but these were
prosperous times in Britain and America
the fear of computers replacing human
workers would slowly subside
as employment continued to
rise one industry that was experiencing
unprecedented growth during the 1950s
was manufacturing the component which
made the computer possible the valve
computers gobbled up valves as fast as
the manufacturers could turn them out
but the boom was about to come to an
abrupt
end radio
[Music]
to most people the transistor meant
small portable radios but the transistor
itself was a tiny Electronic Component
which some call the most important
invention of the 20th century its
inventors Walter brattin John Bine and
William Shockley won the Nobel Prize in
1956 in the same year as the first
transistorized computer went into
production the valve or vacuum tube had
been the main switching element in a
computer circuit it was realized that
the transistor could play precisely the
same role the transistor was much much
smaller than vac a vacuum tube for
example perhaps uh a 50th of size it it
weighed about a 100 times less than a
vacuum tube it gave off no heat uh it
required a fraction of the electrical
power that a vacuum tube
needed the atlas built at Manchester in
196 2 was the ultimate transistorized
computer at the time the most powerful
computer in the world it could handle a
million instructions every second
connecting up the thousands of
components created a wiring
nightmare this problem which multiplied
as the number of components increased
became known as the tyranny of
numbers until it was solved computers
more powerful than the atlas were hard
to
envisage and yet a solution to the
tyranny of numbers problem was already
available this was one of the earliest
integrated circuits a device that would
change the
world the idea was first suggested by
Jeffrey dummer a British radar engineer
in the early 50s but the scientists at
Fairchild Semiconductor in California
and in particular Robert no produced the
first first manufacturable integrated
circuit the
chip essentially it was made from just
one piece of silicon a material
fabricated from common sand chemically
altering small sections of the Silicon
made transistors the cone-shaped
structures chemically treating other
areas of the Silicon created other
electronic components then to wire
everything together in a circuit a layer
of metal was evaporated on top of the
structure the tyranny of numbers problem
in principle had been solved no longer
was it necessary to hand wire large
numbers of electronic components
together one manufacturing process made
the components and wired them together
and as an added bonus the circuitry of a
whole board could now be reduced to the
size of a fingernail
[Music]
the integrated circuit had been
announced in
1959 but surprisingly computer firms
showed little interest in this new
electronic
Marvel for some the integrated circuit
was just too radical a change but for
most it was just too expensive brilliant
though the advance was there seemed to
be no
takers if a spacecraft was to land a man
on the moon it would need an onboard
computer to maneuver it into orbit but
how could they put a computer into a
spacecraft when it could barely hold its
three astronauts transistorized
computers like the atlas weighed over 20
tons and contained miles of wire
extremely sensitive to heat and
vibration there were hardly devices to
be put aboard a
spaceship NASA scientists knew a small
lightweight computer could only be built
from integrated circuits and they were
willing to pay any
price so was the
Pentagon working around the clock
Electronics firms discovered the true
genius of the integrated circuit unlike
the old handwired transistor circuits
ic's could be mass-produced and prices
plummeted that's a very interesting
thing about this technology I think it's
what has made really made it so powerful
I call it a violation of Murphy's Law in
this situation uh by making things
smaller everything gets better
simultaneously the electronics become
higher performance uh they dissipate
less power uh they become a lot more
reliable particularly in complex systems
but most importantly they become
cheaper I compared it at one time to the
printing press that uh in this case you
could design it once and then reproduce
it many many times very very
inexpensively compared to let us say
having the monks write down the book and
copy it by hand which was sort of The
Way We Were building electronics at that
time we were taking all the elements and
then putting them together um with the
integrated circuit we get the chance of
doing the whole thing identically time
after
time at the start of the 60s the first
commercially produced integrated circuit
with less than 10 transistors and other
components cost
$11,000 in the years ahead ic's
underwent enormous change every year the
number number of components on an
integrated circuit
[Music]
doubled within a decade the cost of an
IC had dropped to
pennies nothing like this had ever
happened in the history of any
commercial
product my favorite analogy is if the
Auto industry had moved at the same
speed as our industry uh your car today
would uh Cru Cruise comfortably at a
million miles an hour probably get a
half a million miles per gallon of
gasoline but it would be cheaper to
throw away your Rolls-Royce and buy a
new one and the park it downtown for the
evening as the electronics industry grew
this California region was transformed
from Peach Orchards to the electronics
capital of the world aptly named Silicon
Valley with 300 Electronics firms in a
30 squ mile area even the streets bear
witness to the growing importance of
this new industry
eight years after John Kennedy's
challenge NASA's onboard computer built
from integrated circuits was completed
at the time it was the smallest computer
in the
world the success of the mission and the
lives of its astronauts depended on that
tiny
computer 72 hours after blastoff the
craft would lose contact with
control after that it would be up to the
computer it was the ultimate test of the
integrated circuit's
reliability Apollo 11 this is hon you go
for T over using the computer the
astronauts would have to maneuver into
orbit On the Dark Side of the Moon out
of contact with Mission Control
[Music]
and we've had loss of signal as
Apollo 11 goes behind the moon now they
were on their own their fate resting on
the ability of the onboard computer to
ease them into
[Music]
orbit with the whole world watching
Apollo 11 returned into view and
completed its historic
missional base here the has landed you
got a bunch of guys about to turn blue
we're breathing again thanks a lot this
remarkable achievement was celebrated by
millions of Americans among them a
generation of children who had never
known a world without space travel or
computers OT and Morley's Vision that
computers had a commercial future had
turned out to be right
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