What was the "computer" before the Second World War?

This room is full of "computers". You do not see them? And they are

Nowadays, many companies are working on the creation of computers that are capable of performing many tasks better than people. For example, IBM has developed the Watson supercomputer, which processes vast amounts of data, while simultaneously identifying the connections between individual events or events.

Other companies are working on creating artificial intelligence. In general, in the world of people the opinion is growing and getting stronger that the computer can work itself, without human intervention. You set a task - and the system does everything independently. But it was not always so. For example, before the beginning of the Second World Man, he could not even think about such a thing. And the word “computer” (“computer”) did not mean what it is now.


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It used to be the name of a person who performed certain calculations manually. As explained in the ComputerHistory mini-movie, long before the advent of digital computing complexes, mathematicians divided complex problems / questions into smaller parts, and assigned the solution of each such problem to a specific person or group. This principle of operation was practiced by astronomers of the mid-18th century.

At the same time, at the very beginning, “computers / calculators” were mainly women, who demanded less payment than men. Already in our time, many women have worked with the ENIAC complex, and these women are rightfully considered the pioneers of programming.

Well, now most of the calculations are automated, although the principle of dividing a large and complex problem into parts has not disappeared - this is how many modern, most powerful computing systems and systems work.