Herb Grosch
Encyclopedia
Herbert Reuben John Grosch (September 13, 1918 – January 18, 2010) was an early computer scientist
, perhaps best known for Grosch's law
, which he formulated in 1950. Grosch's Law is an aphorism
that states "economy is as the square root of the speed."
, he moved to the United States
where he received his B.S. and PhD in astronomy from the University of Michigan
in 1942. In 1945, he was hired by IBM
to do backup calculations for the Manhattan Project
working at Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory
at Columbia University
. According to an IBM history, he had been previously employed as an optical engineer in defense industry and was eager to return to research. In 1951, he went on to work on Project Whirlwind at MIT, and on other early computer projects at General Electric
. Back at IBM, he served as their first space program manager in 1958-1959.
Grosch served as editor of the journal Computerworld
from 1973 to 1976, and he was the president of the American Rocket Society
(which became the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
) and the Association for Computing Machinery
from 1976 to 1978.
Grosch received the Association for Computing Machinery
Fellows Award in 1995, and the citation that accompanied it read, "A computer pioneer who managed important space and technology projects, Grosch is respected for discovering and describing the relationship between speed and cost of computers."
He holds the distinction of being the second scientist hired by IBM
(after Wallace J. Eckert) and the first employee at that company with facial hair, at a time when beards were prohibited by IBM.
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, perhaps best known for Grosch's law
Grosch's law
Grosch's law is the following observation about computer performance made by Herb Grosch in 1965:There is a fundamental rule, which I modestly call Grosch's law, giving added economy only as the square root of the increase in speed -- that is, to do a calculation 10 times as cheaply you must do it...
, which he formulated in 1950. Grosch's Law is an aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
that states "economy is as the square root of the speed."
Biography
Born on September 13, 1918, in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he received his B.S. and PhD in astronomy from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1942. In 1945, he was hired by IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
to do backup calculations for the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
working at Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory
Thomas J. Watson Research Center
The Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the headquarters for the IBM Research Division.The center is on three sites, with the main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, 38 miles north of New York City, a building in Hawthorne, New York, and offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts.- Overview :The...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. According to an IBM history, he had been previously employed as an optical engineer in defense industry and was eager to return to research. In 1951, he went on to work on Project Whirlwind at MIT, and on other early computer projects at General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. Back at IBM, he served as their first space program manager in 1958-1959.
Grosch served as editor of the journal Computerworld
Computerworld
Computerworld is an IT magazine that provides information for senior IT leaders. It is published in many countries around the world under the same or similar names. Its publisher is International Data Group. Computerworld serves the needs of IT management via print and online...
from 1973 to 1976, and he was the president of the American Rocket Society
American Rocket Society
The American Rocket Society began its existence on April 4, 1930, under the name of the American Interplanetary Society. It was founded by science fiction writers G. Edward Pendray, David Lasser, Laurence Manning and others. The members originally conducted their own rocket experiments in New York...
(which became the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
) and the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
from 1976 to 1978.
Grosch received the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
Fellows Award in 1995, and the citation that accompanied it read, "A computer pioneer who managed important space and technology projects, Grosch is respected for discovering and describing the relationship between speed and cost of computers."
He holds the distinction of being the second scientist hired by IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
(after Wallace J. Eckert) and the first employee at that company with facial hair, at a time when beards were prohibited by IBM.
Professorships
- Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, 1946-1951 - Arizona State CollegeArizona State UniversityArizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, 1956 - Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, 1972 - NMSU Las CrucesNew Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
, 1994 - University of Nevada, Las VegasUniversity of Nevada, Las VegasUniversity of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
, 2002 (Distinguished) - Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, 2003-2010.
Publications
- Elements and Ephemeris of Delaporte Object 1936 CA, with Maxwell, Allan D, Publications of the Observatory of the University of Michigan, Vol.6, No.11 (1937).
- Integration Orbit and Mean Elements of Jupiter's Eighth Satellite, Ph. D. dissertation, University of Michigan (April 1942).
- Positions of Pluto, with J.E. Willis, Astronomical Journal, Vol.50, No.14 (June 1942), pp.14-15.
- Ray Tracing on IBM Punched Card Equipment, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol.35, 803A (1945).
- Bibliography on the Use of IBM Machines in Scientific Research, Statistics, and Education, IBM (1945).
- Harmonic Analysis by the Use of Progressive Digiting, Proceedings of the 1946 Research Forum, IBM (1946).
- The Orbit of the Eighth Satellite of Jupiter, Astronomical Journal, Vol.53, No.180 (1948) (a condensed published form of Grosch's 1942 Ph. D. thesis).
- Ray Tracing with the IBM Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol.39, 1059A (1949).
- Multiplication of Small Matrices, IBM, New York (1 Jun 1949).
- Proceedings of the 1948 Scientific Computation Forum (ed.), IBM (1950).
- The Use of Optimum Interval Mathematical Tables, Proceedings of the 1948 Scientific Computation Forum, IBM (1950).
- Bibliography on Chebyshev Polynomials and Their Use as Optimum Approximation Functions, Proeceedings of the 1949 Scientific Computation Seminar, IBM (1951).
- A New Level of Instruction in Celestial Mechanics, Astronomical Journal, Vol.63 (1958). (Third edition online in 2003)