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Inventions that Changed the World - Digital Electronic Computer (1941)

  • robertbrown
  • Mar 18
  • 3 min read

The two world wars led to many breakthroughs in all areas of science and technology. It was not, however an easy time to get independently  funded inventions off the ground as German engineer Konrad Zuse discovered.


Konrad Zeus - 1910-1995
Konrad Zeus - 1910-1995

In 1936 Zues unvented the ‘Z1’, an electromechanical binary computer, but it was completely obliterated by World War II bombing that left no trace of it or its blueprints behind. Work on the ‘Z2’ was difficult because the war made it impossible for Zeus to work with other computer engineers from Britain or the United States but he still manages to complete it in 1940. The ‘Z3’ a more sophisticated version of the Z2 was finished in 1941, partially funded by contributions from the German Experimentation Institution for Aviation. It was the first fully functional program-controlled electromechanical digital computer in the world. Sadly, this too was destroyed in the war, but greater care was taken with the ‘Z4’, which was moved from country to country to ensure its survival.


Zuse Z1 replica in the German Museum of Technology in Berlin
Zuse Z1 replica in the German Museum of Technology in Berlin

One of Zuse’s man motivations to create a computer was to make life easier for his fellow engineers and scientists. He had a passionate distaste for performing the long time-consuming calculations that his profession was so often called upon to make. It was during the time that he was studying as a civil engineer that he began to wish for a machine that would take care of these irksome problems for him.


Although the original Z3 was destroyed, a working reconstruction was made in 1960. It is on permanent display at the Deutsches Museum, Munich.


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Eur Ing Dr Robert Brown (Robert) is the Executive Director of Fraser George and Associates Limited and is a Consultant and Forensic Engineer in the fields Electrical, Electronic and Control Engineering.

 

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Robert is a registered Chartered Electrical Engineer, specialising in the fields of control engineering, parameter data capture and accurate data ‘representation’. Robert graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a first-class honours degree in Electronic Systems and Control Engineering and followed this by completing doctorate research in Electrical Engineering, again at Sheffield Hallam University where Robert undertook research studies in the field of Disintegration and Arcing in Electrical Fuses. Robert is now considered to be a leading world expert in the field of electrical circuit protection systems, the phenomena of electrical fuse operation and the attributes of clearing ‘fault’ electrical current circumstances. Robert has published pure and applied research studies in peer-refereed journals and at conference. Robert has appeared several times on national television presenting expert opinion in consumer affairs related stories.

 

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