Digital Computers in Action

Digital Computers in Action is an introduction to the basics of digital computers as well as their programming and various applications in fields such as mathematics, science, engineering, economics, medicine, and law. Other topics include engineering automation, process control, special purpose games-playing devices, machine translation and mechanized linguistics, and information retrieval. This book consists of 14 chapters and begins by discussing the history of computers, from the idea of performing complex arithmetical calculations to the emergence of a modern view of the structure of a general purpose computing machine. Some of the most important applications of computers are also considered. This text introduces the structure and capabilities of the modern electronic digital computer; what operations can be performed by a typical machine and how these operations make the process of automatic calculation a useful one; and the uses of digital computers in mathematics, science, engineering, economics, medicine, and law. This book also examines the applications of computers to the automation of production engineering, process control in refinery transportation and the factory, and machine translation and mechanized linguistics. The final chapter deals with the use of computers in information storage and retrieval. This reference material is intended for students who wish to know how computers can be of assistance in their own disciplines.