computer science

MUSASINO-1

MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1 rather than just read about it. In short: The MUSASINO-1 was one of the earliest electronic digital computers built in Japan. Construction started at the Electrical Communication Laboratories of NTT at Musashino, Tokyo in 1952 and was completed in July 1957.

Key takeaways

MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MUSASINO-1 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The MUSASINO-1 was one of the earliest electronic digital computers built in Japan. Construction started at the Electrical Communication Laboratories of NTT at Musashino, Tokyo in 1952 and was completed in July 1957. The computer was used until July 1962. Saburo Muroga, a University of Illinois visiting scholar and member of the ILLIAC I team, returned to Japan and oversaw the construction of MUSASINO-1.

Using 519 vacuum tubes and 5,400 parametrons, the MUSASINO-1 possessed a magnetic core memory, initially of 32 (later expanded to 256) words. A word was composed of 40 bits, and two instructions could be stored in a single word. Addition time was clocked at 1,350 microseconds, multiplication at 6,800 microseconds, and division time at 26.1 milliseconds. The MUSASINO-1's instruction set was a superset of the ILLIAC I's instructions, so it could generally use the latter's software. However, many of the programs for the ILLIAC used some of the unused bits in the instructions to store data, and these would be interpreted as a different instructions by the MUSASINO-1 control circuitry.

See also FUJIC – First electronic digital computer in Japan ILLIAC I – Vacuum tube computer built in 1952 by the University of Illinois List of vacuum-tube computers – First generation programmable computers

References

Raúl Rojas and Ulf Hashagen, ed. The First Computers: History and Architectures. 2000, MIT Press, ISBN 0-262-18197-5. In memory of Saburo Muroga, CS @ Illinois Alumni Magazine, Summer 2011

External links Descriptions of the MUSASINO-1 and its immediate successors at the IPSJ Computer Museum

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MUSASINO-1

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1

In research: MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1 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: MUSASINO-1 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 40-bit computers, Computer-related introductions in 1957, Computer hardware stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MUSASINO-1 in simple terms?

Why does MUSASINO-1 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 MUSASINO-1?

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 MUSASINO-1.