computer science

Reeves Electronic Analog Computer

Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer rather than just read about it. In short: The Reeves Electronic Analog Computer (commonly shortened REAC) was a family of early analog computers produced in the United States by Reeves Instrument Corporation from the 1940s through the 1960s. History Origins In the 1940s, Reeves Instrument Corporation began developing ideas for a digital computation machine.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Reeves Electronic Analog Computer (commonly shortened REAC) was a family of early analog computers produced in the United States by Reeves Instrument Corporation from the 1940s through the 1960s.

History

Origins In the 1940s, Reeves Instrument Corporation began developing ideas for a digital computation machine. They hired mathematician Samuel Lubkin, of the original team who designed the UNIVAC, to lead the project. The original proposal was to build a machine called the REEVAC, which was to have been based on the design of the EDVAC machine, which Lubkin had also done design work on. For unknown reasons, Reeves decided to scrap this approach, and Lubkin left the company for a job with the National Bureau of Standards (the US government organization later renamed the National Institute of Standards and Technology). Reeves then decided to move forward with an analogue computer instead. In 1946, the Office of Naval Research launched a project code named Project Cyclone at Reeves to develop a general purpose analogue computing machine to further Naval objectives — it is unclear if this was the cause of Reeves's change of direction or a consequence. This was the beginning of a 20-year partnership between Reeves and the Navy. For the entire 20-year duration of Project Cyclone, Reeves would continually furnish the Navy with the most recent REAC model.

Commercial production In 1948, Reeves began putting the REAC machine into commercial production. The original price was US$14,320 for the machine itself, but fully loaded with all the necessary peripherals it cost US$37,000 (about US$425,000 in 2021 dollars). By 1951, there were more than sixty REAC machines in use at universities, private (usually engineering) companies, and government and military institutions. Today the REAC is credited with proving that a general-purpose analog computer could be a viable commercial product. Notable early adopters included the following:

Naval Air Missile Test Center (now the Pacific Missile Test Center) United States Naval Research Laboratory RAND Corporation North American Aviation Applied Physics Laboratory University of Minnesota Ames Research Center at NASA

Uses REAC computers played a role in the development of many military projects, such as the Ryan X-13 Vertijet. A REAC was the first computer at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, and was instrumental in running simulations in development of the first anti-radiation missile. It also was used in the Aeronautical Computer Laboratory at Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster.

Hardware The machine as it arrived from the manufacturer consisted of several cabinets with connecting cables, and was described as "essentially an Erector Set whose pieces are electronic or electro-mechanical parts." The average runtime for single problem was about one minute.

Models There were seven models produced during the life of the system:

REAC 100 (1947) REAC 200 (1952) REAC 300 (1953) REAC 400 (1956) REAC 500 (1963) REAC 550 (1964) REAC 600 (1965)

External links REAC 600 sales brochure

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Reeves Electronic Analog Computer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer

In research: Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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: Reeves Electronic Analog Computer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1940s computers, Analog computers, Computer-related introductions in 1946, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Reeves Electronic Analog Computer in simple terms?

The Reeves Electronic Analog Computer (commonly shortened REAC) was a family of early analog computers produced in the United States by Reeves Instrument Corporation from the 1940s through the 1960s. History Origins In the 1940s, Reeves Instrument Corporation began developing ideas for a digital co…

Why does Reeves Electronic Analog Computer 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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer?

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 Reeves Electronic Analog Computer.