The Handheld Analog Computer That Made the Atomic Bomb

szczys writes: When the physicists and mathematicians of the Manhattan Project began their work they needed to establish which substance was most likely to sustain vigorous fission. This is not trivial math, and the solution of course is to use an advanced computer. If only they had one available. The best computer of the time was a targeting calculation machine that was out of service while being moved from one installation to another. The unlikely fill-in was a simple yet ingenious analog computer called the FERMIAC. When rolled along a piece of paper it calculated neutron collisions with simple markings — doing its small part to forever change the world without a battery, transistor, or tube.

Comments

Re:That "Made" the Atomic Bomb

[ArmoredDragon]

Actually it should be neither. From TFA:

UPDATE: Commentor [lwatchdr] pointed out that the use of the FERMIAC began after the Manhattan Project had officially ended in 1946. Although many of the same people were involved, this analog computer wasn’t put into use until about a year later.

Really editors?

[DougOtto]

The whole article is how this device was used to build the bomb.....get to the end and they add a correction. The FERMIAC wasn't used until after the Manhattan project was completed. Basically the whole article is wrong, they said it was wrong, and it got green-lighted here.

Banks of women sitting at adding machines

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought they used banks of women sitting at adding machines, carrying out algorithms handed to them by Feynman...Fermi would do simple back of the envelope calculations, and Von Neumann would solve the differential equations in his head...