Oslo Analyzer
Encyclopedia
Oslo Analyzer was a differential analyzer type of computer
, built in Norway
from 1938 to 1942. It was the largest computer of its kind.
The differential analyzer was based on the same principles as the pioneer machine developed by Vannevar Bush
at MIT
. It was installed in the first floor of the Institute for Theorethical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo
, under leadership of Svein Rosseland
who had visited MIT in 1933. The machine had twelve integrator
s (compared to six of the original MIT machine) and could calculate differential equations of the twelfth order, or two simultaneous equations of the sixth order. It was when it was finished the most powerful of its kind.
Upon the German occupation of Norway on April 9, 1940, Rosseland realized that the machine might become a desirable research tool in the German war effort. So Rosseland personally removed all precision fabricated integration wheels and buried the wheels in sealed packages in the garden behind the institute.
The machine contributed to a number of scientific projects, both domestic and international. When it was dismantled, sections of it was placed at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology
.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, built in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
from 1938 to 1942. It was the largest computer of its kind.
The differential analyzer was based on the same principles as the pioneer machine developed by Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush was an American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing, his political role in the development of the atomic bomb as a primary organizer of the Manhattan Project, the founding of Raytheon, and the idea of the memex, an adjustable microfilm viewer...
at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. It was installed in the first floor of the Institute for Theorethical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, under leadership of Svein Rosseland
Svein Rosseland
Svein Rosseland was a Norwegian astrophysicist and a pioneer in the field of theoretical astrophysics. -Biography:...
who had visited MIT in 1933. The machine had twelve integrator
Integrator
An integrator is a device to perform the mathematical operation known as integration, a fundamental operation in calculus.The integration function is often part of engineering, physics, mechanical, chemical and scientific calculations....
s (compared to six of the original MIT machine) and could calculate differential equations of the twelfth order, or two simultaneous equations of the sixth order. It was when it was finished the most powerful of its kind.
Upon the German occupation of Norway on April 9, 1940, Rosseland realized that the machine might become a desirable research tool in the German war effort. So Rosseland personally removed all precision fabricated integration wheels and buried the wheels in sealed packages in the garden behind the institute.
The machine contributed to a number of scientific projects, both domestic and international. When it was dismantled, sections of it was placed at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology
Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology
The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology is a science museum located in Oslo, NorwayThe museum as an institution was founded in 1914 as a part of the commemoration for the 100th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution, but it was not until 1932 that the museum was first opened, in the...
.