computer science

PS-2000

PS-2000 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 PS-2000 rather than just read about it. In short: The PS-2000 (ПС-2000, Russian: перенастраиваемая структура, reconfigurable system) was a Soviet supercomputer built in the 1980s. History In the middle of the 1970s, it appeared, in the USSR, that the computing power available to process geophysics data, real-time space probes data, mineral prospecting, weather forecast, etc. was far to be sufficient, and that a new class of supercomputers, hundreds of times more po…

Key takeaways

PS-2000 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 PS-2000 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PS-2000 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The PS-2000 (ПС-2000, Russian: перенастраиваемая структура, reconfigurable system) was a Soviet supercomputer built in the 1980s.

History In the middle of the 1970s, it appeared, in the USSR, that the computing power available to process geophysics data, real-time space probes data, mineral prospecting, weather forecast, etc. was far to be sufficient, and that a new class of supercomputers, hundreds of times more powerful than the existing installed systems, was needed. The development of ПС-2000 began in 1978, as a joint project between the Institute of Control Problems (IPU) in Moscow and the Impul's Scientific Production Association in Severodonetsk, under the supervision of Il’ya Itenberg and Vladislav Rezanov of Impul's and Iveri Prangishvili of IPU. The computer entered production in 1981, and was manufactured in various configurations until 1988. During the 1980s and the 1990s, the Roscosmos mission control computing complex was organized around an Elbrus 2 supercomputer, with a PS-2000 as a front-processing supercomputer for telemetry data.

Architecture The PS-2000 is a SIMD-type supercomputer. It consists of 8 to 64 processing element (PE), cadenced at 3 MHz, that are connected to each other, under the control of a common command unit (OUU), and connected each to 12 or 48 KB of memory. Eight processing elements are grouped in a processing device (UO). Each PE use 24-bit registers, in fixed or floating-point format. An addition takes 0.96 μs and a multiplication takes 1.6 μs, allowing theoretic peak performances of 200 MIPS for a full configuration system. The computer is formed from 3 cabinets types:

Base module : one UO and one OUU Extension module 1 : one UO (8 PE) Extension module 2 : two UO (16 PE) In the simplest configuration, the supercomputer consists of only one cabinet. In the full configuration, with 8 UO, the supercomputer consists of 5 cabinets, organised in a double-Y shape.

References

External links Russian virtual computer museum Soviet high-speed computers : the new generation Advanced Architecture Computers 1989

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PS-2000

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PS-2000 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 PS-2000 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 PS-2000 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 PS-2000

In research: PS-2000 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 PS-2000 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: PS-2000 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 1981, Soviet computer systems, Supercomputers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PS-2000 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study PS-2000 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PS-2000 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 PS-2000 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PS-2000 in simple terms?

The PS-2000 (ПС-2000, Russian: перенастраиваемая структура, reconfigurable system) was a Soviet supercomputer built in the 1980s. History In the middle of the 1970s, it appeared, in the USSR, that the computing power available to process geophysics data, real-time space probes data, mineral prospec…

Why does PS-2000 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 PS-2000?

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 PS-2000.