State Historical Society of Iowa

Iowa State Today Interview with John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry, May 1, 1942

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Courtesy of Iowa State University, Iowa State Today Interview with John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry, May 1, 1942

Description

On May 1, 1942, the Iowa State Today radio show interviewed mathematics and physics Professor John Vincent Atanasoff and his graduate student Clifford Berry about their work on the Atanasoff Berry Computer, the world's first electronic digital computer.

Source Dependent Questions

  • What were the capabilities of the Atanasoff Berry Computer?
  • According to Professor Atanasoff, what necessitated the creation of the Atanasoff Berry Computer? Given this, how do you think the capabilities of mathematicians and scientists would dramatically change after its creation?
  • Why is this invention so significant to our modern world today? How did it lay the groundwork for later innovation to follow?

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