computer science

Strela computer

Strela 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 Strela computer rather than just read about it. In short: Strela computer (Russian: ЭВМ Стрела, lit. 'Arrow') was the first mainframe vacuum-tube computer manufactured serially in the Soviet Union, beginning in 1953. Overview This first-generation computer had 6200 vacuum tubes and 60,000 semiconductor diodes.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Strela computer (Russian: ЭВМ Стрела, lit. 'Arrow') was the first mainframe vacuum-tube computer manufactured serially in the Soviet Union, beginning in 1953.

Overview This first-generation computer had 6200 vacuum tubes and 60,000 semiconductor diodes. Strela's speed was 2000 operations per second. Its floating-point arithmetic was based on 43-bit floating point words, with a signed 35-bit mantissa and a signed 6-bit exponent. Operative Williams tube memory (RAM) had 2048 words. It also used read-only semiconductor diode memory for programs. It used punched cards or magnetic tape for data input and magnetic tape, punched cards and/or wide printer for data. The last version of Strela used a 4096-word magnetic drum, rotating at 6000 rpm. While Yury Bazilevslky was officially Strela's chief designer, Bashir Rameyev, who developed the project prior to Bazilevsky's appointment, could be considered its main inventor. Strela was constructed at the Special Design Bureau 245 (Argon R&D Institute since 1986) in Moscow. Strelas were manufactured by the Moscow Computing-Analytical Machine Plant (счетно-аналитических машин) (Russian: Московский завод счётно-аналитических машин имени В. Д. Калмыкова) during 1953–1957; 7 copies were manufactured. They were installed in the Computing Centre of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, Moscow State University, and in computing centres of some ministries related to defense and economic planning. In 1954, the designers of Strela were awarded the Stalin Prize of 1st degree (Bashir Rameyev, Yu. Bazilevsky, V. Alexandrov, D. Zhuchkov, I. Lygin, G. Markov, B. Melnikov, G. Prokudayev, N. Trubnikov, A. Tsygankin, Yu. Shcherbakov, L. Larionova). The impetus for the development of Strela was a BBC broadcast heard by Bashir Rameyev about the American development of ENIAC.

See also History of computer hardware in Eastern Bloc countries List of vacuum-tube computers

References

Further reading Savard, John J. G. (2018) [2006]. "Another Real Machine: The Strela". quadibloc. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-16.

External links Strela Computer, Russian Virtual Computer Museum Architecture and computer code of Strela computer, Alexander Savvateev, Russian Virtual Computer Museum

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Strela computer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Strela 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 Strela 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 Strela 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 Strela computer

In research: Strela 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 Strela 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: Strela computer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1950s computers, 1953 in the Soviet Union, Computer-related introductions in 1953, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Strela 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 Strela computer in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Strela computer in simple terms?

Strela computer (Russian: ЭВМ Стрела, lit. 'Arrow') was the first mainframe vacuum-tube computer manufactured serially in the Soviet Union, beginning in 1953. Overview This first-generation computer had 6200 vacuum tubes and 60,000 semiconductor diodes.

Why does Strela 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 Strela 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 Strela computer.