computer science

MANIAC II

MANIAC II is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MANIAC II rather than just read about it. In short: The MANIAC II (Mathematical Analyzer Numerical Integrator and Automatic Computer Model II) was a first-generation electronic computer, built in 1957 for use at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. MANIAC II was built by the University of California and the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and was completed in 1957 as a successor to MANIAC I.

Key takeaways

MANIAC II belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MANIAC II to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MANIAC II from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The MANIAC II (Mathematical Analyzer Numerical Integrator and Automatic Computer Model II) was a first-generation electronic computer, built in 1957 for use at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. MANIAC II was built by the University of California and the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and was completed in 1957 as a successor to MANIAC I. It used 2,850 vacuum tubes and 1,040 semiconductor diodes in the arithmetic unit. Overall it used 5,190 vacuum tubes, 3,050 semiconductor diodes, and 1,160 transistors. It had 4,096 words of memory in magnetic-core memory (with 2.4 microsecond access time), supplemented by 12,288 words of memory using Williams tubes (with 15 microsecond access time). The word size was 48 bits. Its average multiplication time was 180 microseconds and the average division time was 300 microseconds. By the time of its decommissioning, the computer was all solid-state, using a combination of RTL, DTL and TTL. It had an array multiplier, 15 index registers, 16K of 6-microsecond cycle time core memory, and 64K of 2-microsecond cycle time core memory. A NOP instruction took about 2.5 microseconds. A multiplication took 8 microseconds and a division 25 microseconds. It had a paging unit using 1K word pages with an associative 16-deep lookup memory. A 1-megaword CDC drum was hooked up as a paging device. It also had several ADDS Special-Order Direct-View Storage-Tube terminals. These terminals used an extended character set which covered about all the mathematical symbols, and allowed for half-line spacing for math formulas. For I/O, it had two IBM 360 series nine-track and two seven-track 1/2" tape drives. It had an eight-bit paper-tape reader and punch, and a 500 line-per-minute printer (1500 line-per-minute using the hexadecimal character set). Storage was three IBM 7000 series 1301 disk drives, each having two modules of 21.6 million characters apiece. One of the data products of MANIAC II was the table of numbers appearing in the book The 3-j and 6-j Symbols by Manuel Rotenberg, et al., published in 1959. Page 37 of that book contains a brief description of the implementation of the program on the computer, and the I/O devices used in the production of the book.

See also List of vacuum-tube computers MANIAC I MANIAC III

Further reading Lazarus, Roger B. (1957-01-30) [1956-10-01]. "MANIAC II" (PDF). Los Alamos, NM, USA: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California. LA-2083. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2018-08-07.

External links BRL report on MANIAC II

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MANIAC II

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MANIAC II claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MANIAC II before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MANIAC II ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MANIAC II

In research: MANIAC II appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MANIAC II in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MANIAC II is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 48-bit computers, Computer-related introductions in 1957, Computer hardware stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MANIAC II outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MANIAC II in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MANIAC II means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MANIAC II out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MANIAC II in simple terms?

Why does MANIAC II matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MANIAC II?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MANIAC II.