Storia del Computer

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immagini - Uno strumento nuovo: l'elaboratore elettronico

1950. Per dimostrare la validità del calcolatore elettronico, von Neumann sceglie le previsioni meteorologiche elaborate per la prima volta secondo criteri numerici. Poiché la nuova macchina di Princeton era ancora in fase di realizzazione, venne impiegato l'ENIAC.

Introduction

Two years ago the Meteorological Research Group at the Institute for Advanced Study adopted the general plan of attacking the problem of numerical weather prediction by a step by step investigation of a series of models approximating more and more the real state of the atmosphere. In accordance with this plan the two-dimensional barotropic model was chosen as the first object of study. The first two publications dealt with the numerical properties of the linearized barotropic equations as a preparation for the numerical integration of the non-linear equation. Such integrations have now been performed and will be described in the present article.

These integrations would not have been possible without the use of a high-speed large-capacity computing instrument. We should like, therefore, to express our warmest thanks to the U.S. Army Ordnance Department and the administration of the Ballistic Research Laboratories in Aberdeen, Maryland for having generously given us the use of their electronic computing machine (The Eniac). The request for the use of the Eniac was made on our behalf by the U.S. Weather Bureau and we should like to thank them also for their gratifying interests and support.