A NASA family of minicomputer systems, Appendix A

This investigation was undertaken to establish sufficient specifications, or standards, for minicomputer hardware and software to provide NASA with realizable economics in quantity purchases, interchangeability of minicomputers, software, storage and peripherals, and a uniformly high quality. The standards will define minicomputer system component types, each specialized to its intended NASA application, in as many levels of capacity as required

Research in nonlinear structural and solid mechanics

Recent and projected advances in applied mechanics, numerical analysis, computer hardware and engineering software, and their impact on modeling and solution techniques in nonlinear structural and solid mechanics are discussed. The fields covered are rapidly changing and are strongly impacted by current and projected advances in computer hardware. To foster effective development of the technology perceptions on computing systems and nonlinear analysis software systems are presented

A system study of a computerized grocery store

This thesis is a system study of a computer controlled grocery store. Previous work has been done in the area of computerized inventory control, and computerized checkout lines in grocery stores, but the system proposed in this thesis is to control the movement and handling of the products as orders are automatically filled. In the preliminary part of the system study, a comparison between a time shared computer service and a minicomputer is done, which results in the selection of a minicomputer for this control system. Then the general control system is presented, and the system interfacing and control for the various peripherals is configured, assuming a minicomputer with a bus structure similar to the PDP-8 machine. Finally a set of workable minicomputer specifications is developed, and a simulation of the proposed control system is done on the SCC-650 minicomputer --Abstract, page ii

Aeroservoelastic wind-tunnel investigations using the Active Flexible Wing Model: Status and recent accomplishments

The status of the joint NASA/Rockwell Active Flexible Wing Wind-Tunnel Test Program is described. The objectives are to develop and validate the analysis, design, and test methodologies required to apply multifunction active control technology for improving aircraft performance and stability. Major tasks include designing digital multi-input/multi-output flutter-suppression and rolling-maneuver-load alleviation concepts for a flexible full-span wind-tunnel model, obtaining an experimental data base for the basic model and each control concept and providing comparisons between experimental and analytical results to validate the methodologies. The opportunity is provided to improve real-time simulation techniques and to gain practical experience with digital control law implementation procedures

Machines designed to play Nim games. Teaching supports for mathematics, algorithmics and computer science (1940 – 1970)

International audienceThis article deals with Nim games and machines built to play against a human being between the 1940s and the 1970s. They were designed not only to entertain, but also to explain concepts in mathematics, algorithmics and computer science to a general public. Moreover, they were exhibited during fairs or science shows and then manufactured for personal use. Nim games are take-away games without chance whose winning strategy relies on the binary system, easily characterized by bistable circuits called flip-flops. The first electromechanical Nim player machine, called The Nimatron, was invented in 1940 and exhibited during the New York World's Fair. Its success led to the construction of another electromechanical machine (1951). Then electric or purely mechanical inventions were patented for their cheaper production cost and their pedagogical aspects to understand elementary level instructions in computers as well as the rules of the binary system and notions of Boolean algebra. This article provides examples of such machines and shows their pedagogical interest.</p