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The ASCC -- which became known more popularly as the
"Mark I" at Harvard -- brought Babbage's principles
of the analytical engine almost to full realization,
while adding important new features.
Consisting of 78 adding machines and calculators linked
together, the ASCC had 765,000 parts, 3,300 relays,
over 500 miles of wire and more than 175,000 connections.
Assembly of the
ASCC at Harvard in February 1944.
The Mark I was a parallel synchronous calculator that
could perform table lookup and the four fundamental
arithmetic operations, in any specified sequence, on
numbers up to 23 decimal digits in length. It had 60
switch registers for constants, 72 storage counters
for intermediate results, a central multiplying-dividing
unit, functional counters for computing transcendental
functions, and three interpolators for reading functions
punched into perforated tape. Numerical input was in
the form of punched cards, paper tape or manually set
switches. The output was printed by electric typewriters
or punched into cards. Sequencing of operations was
accomplished by a perforated tape.
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