Computations Computerized

How to solve e without really trying

The arrival of the Elliot 503 Computer marks an historic occasion in the life of the Victoria University of Wellington.

It has been obtained by the Applied Mathematics Division of the DSIR, who are responsible for its operation. As well as providing a computing service for several Government departments it will be available for use by the university in various research programmes.

What then can it do? The computer is capable of doing anything it is told to do. The problem here lies in the fact that it does not speak English, not English as we know it.

Early computers were fed their instructions in the form of a series of ones and noughts. This method, however, has been superseded by a compressed, precise language, formed of words and numbers called Algol. It is readily learnt and has gained international acceptance.

The following is an Algol programme for the Elliot 503 computer to calculate "e" from e