Adele Goldstine
Encyclopedia
Adele Goldstine born Adele Katz, wrote the complete technical description for the first electronic digital computer, ENIAC
. She attended the University of Chicago
, and was married to Herman Goldstine, the military liaison and administrator for the construction of the ENIAC.
As a teacher of mathematics for the women "computers
" at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering
, Goldstine also trained some of the 6 women who were the original programmers of ENIAC to perform hand calculations of the firing table trajectory. Adele wrote the Operators Manual for the ENIAC after the 6 women (Kay McNulty
, Betty Jean Jennings(Jean Bartik), Betty Snyder
, Marlyn Wescoff
, Fran Bilas
and Ruth Lichterman
) trained themselves to program the ENIAC using its logical and electrical block diagram. During this time, programming the machine meant moving dials and cables manually.
In 1946 Goldstine sat in on programming sessions with Bartik and Dick Clippinger to implement Clippinger's stored program modification to the ENIAC. John von Neumann
was a consultant on the selection of the instruction set
implemented. This solved the problem of the programmers having to unplug and replug patch cables for every program the machine was to run; instead the program was entered on the three function tables, which had previously been used only for storage of a trajectory's drag function.
ENIAC programmer Jean Bartik called Goldstine one of her three perfect partners in designing programs or logical design. They worked together to program the Taub program for the ENIAC.
Goldstine died of cancer at the age of 43, leaving behind her husband and their two children.
ENIAC
ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was a Turing-complete digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems....
. She attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and was married to Herman Goldstine, the military liaison and administrator for the construction of the ENIAC.
As a teacher of mathematics for the women "computers
Human computer
The term "computer", in use from the mid 17th century, meant "one who computes": a person performing mathematical calculations, before electronic computers became commercially available....
" at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering
Moore School of Electrical Engineering
The Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania came into existence as a result of an endowment from Alfred Fitler Moore on June 4, 1923. It was granted to Penn's School of Electrical Engineering, located in the Towne Building...
, Goldstine also trained some of the 6 women who were the original programmers of ENIAC to perform hand calculations of the firing table trajectory. Adele wrote the Operators Manual for the ENIAC after the 6 women (Kay McNulty
Kathleen Antonelli
Kathleen "Kay" McNulty Mauchly Antonelli was one of the six original programmers of the ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.-Early life and education:...
, Betty Jean Jennings(Jean Bartik), Betty Snyder
Betty Holberton
Frances Elizabeth "Betty" Holberton was one of the six original programmers of ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.-Early life and education:...
, Marlyn Wescoff
Marlyn Meltzer
Marlyn Meltzer was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer.She was born Marlyn Wescoff and graduated from Temple University in 1942. She was hired by the Moore School of Engineering later that year to perform weather calculations, mainly because she knew how to operate an adding...
, Fran Bilas
Frances Spence
Frances Spence was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer.She was born Frances Bilas in Philadelphia in 1922. She attended Temple University but then was awarded a scholarship to Chestnut Hill College. She majored in mathematics with a minor in physics and graduated in 1942...
and Ruth Lichterman
Ruth Teitelbaum
Ruth Teitelbaum was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer.Teitelbaum graduated from Hunter College with a B.Sc. in Mathematics...
) trained themselves to program the ENIAC using its logical and electrical block diagram. During this time, programming the machine meant moving dials and cables manually.
In 1946 Goldstine sat in on programming sessions with Bartik and Dick Clippinger to implement Clippinger's stored program modification to the ENIAC. John von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
was a consultant on the selection of the instruction set
Instruction set
An instruction set, or instruction set architecture , is the part of the computer architecture related to programming, including the native data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external I/O...
implemented. This solved the problem of the programmers having to unplug and replug patch cables for every program the machine was to run; instead the program was entered on the three function tables, which had previously been used only for storage of a trajectory's drag function.
ENIAC programmer Jean Bartik called Goldstine one of her three perfect partners in designing programs or logical design. They worked together to program the Taub program for the ENIAC.
Goldstine died of cancer at the age of 43, leaving behind her husband and their two children.
See also
- Kathleen AntonelliKathleen AntonelliKathleen "Kay" McNulty Mauchly Antonelli was one of the six original programmers of the ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.-Early life and education:...
- Jean BartikJean BartikJean Bartik was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer.She was born Betty Jean Jennings in Gentry County, Missouri, in 1924 and attended Northwest Missouri State Teachers College, majoring in mathematics. In 1945, she was hired by the University of Pennsylvania to work for Army...
- Betty HolbertonBetty HolbertonFrances Elizabeth "Betty" Holberton was one of the six original programmers of ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.-Early life and education:...
- Marlyn MeltzerMarlyn MeltzerMarlyn Meltzer was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer.She was born Marlyn Wescoff and graduated from Temple University in 1942. She was hired by the Moore School of Engineering later that year to perform weather calculations, mainly because she knew how to operate an adding...
- Frances SpenceFrances SpenceFrances Spence was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer.She was born Frances Bilas in Philadelphia in 1922. She attended Temple University but then was awarded a scholarship to Chestnut Hill College. She majored in mathematics with a minor in physics and graduated in 1942...
- Ruth TeitelbaumRuth TeitelbaumRuth Teitelbaum was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer.Teitelbaum graduated from Hunter College with a B.Sc. in Mathematics...