computer science

The Man Who Invented the Computer

The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the Computer rather than just read about it. In short: The Man Who Invented the Computer is a 2010 historical biography by author Jane Smiley about American physicist John Vincent Atanasoff and the invention of the computer. The book follows Atanasoff as he collaborates with others to develop the 1942 Atanasoff–Berry Computer (ABC), the first electronic digital computing device.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Man Who Invented the Computer is a 2010 historical biography by author Jane Smiley about American physicist John Vincent Atanasoff and the invention of the computer. The book follows Atanasoff as he collaborates with others to develop the 1942 Atanasoff–Berry Computer (ABC), the first electronic digital computing device.

See also List of pioneers in computer science

External links Official site After Words interview with Smiley on The Man Who Invented the Computer, December 27, 2010

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Man Who Invented the Computer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the Computer

In research: The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the 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: The Man Who Invented the Computer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2010 non-fiction books, American biographical book stubs, American biographies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the Computer in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is The Man Who Invented the Computer in simple terms?

Why does The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the 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 The Man Who Invented the Computer.