Iowa State Today, May 1, 1942, with John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry

              IOWA STATE TODAY
FRIDAY, May 1, 1942 - 2:05 to 2:15 p.m.
Narrator, lone McNay
(Opening - Fight Song - from station call - up full 20 sees., fad*
background for opening announcement)
ANNOUNCES: It's time for Friday's edition of Iowa State Today. Campus news and
interviews, brought to you each Monday and Friday at this time. And
here's your narrator, lone McNay.
MCKAY: Thanks, . and good afternoon, everyone.    It isn't often
we get to meet an inventor on Iowa State Today, but we have one this
afternoon.    He is Dr. John Atanasoff, professor of physics and mathematics
at Iowa State College.    He has brought along his assistant, Clifford Berry
of Ames, a graduate student in physics.    The invention is an electrical
calculator that can solve linear algebraic equations, computing simultaneousljr
in 450 digits.    Now, if any of you happen to labor over the solving of
mathematical problems the way I do, I know  that the mere thought of such
a machine must fill you with awe.    This machine is about the sise of an
office desk, and to my untrained eye, really doesn't look much like a
calculator.    It's made up of odd-looking cylinders, hundreds of vacuum tubes
and thousands of wives.    But since the two men who constructed it are
right here, I'll ]et them tell you about it.    Why did you ever start
working on such a raschine, Dr. Atanasoff?
ATANASOFF: ttout twelve years ago I was working on a complicated problem in Quantum
Mechanics.    Part of this work required some thought, but part of it
required an inordinate amount of calculation.    Now, Miss. MdMay, someone has
said that mathematicians are naturally lazy people.    If this were the sole
requirement I would certainly qualify.    At any rate, the result was that
my needs in this problem and my observations in regard to the solution of
many other problems showed how badly such a device is needed.    Of course,
for the time being I could do nothing, but the idea stayed in my mind.    I
did not spend my working hours on it, but some times when I had a few moments
0004
when awake during the-night I would think about it.    Later I had graduate students