Parametron
Encyclopedia
Parametron is a logic circuit element invented by Eiichi Goto
in 1954. The parametron is essentially a resonant circuit with a nonlinear reactive element which oscillates at half the driving frequency. The oscillation can be made to represent a binary digit by the choice between two stationary phases pi radians (180 degrees) apart.
Parametrons were used in early Japan
ese computer
s from 1954 through the early 1960s. A prototype parametron-based computer, the PC-1, was built at the University of Tokyo
in 1958. Parametrons were used in early Japanese computers due to being reliable and inexpensive but were ultimately surpassed by transistor
s due to differences in speed.
Eiichi Goto
Eiichi Goto was a Japanese computer scientist, the builder of one of the first general-purpose computers in Japan.-Biography:Goto was born in January 26, 1931 in Shibuya, Tokyo. After attending Seikei High School he went to Tokyo University, where he graduated in 1953...
in 1954. The parametron is essentially a resonant circuit with a nonlinear reactive element which oscillates at half the driving frequency. The oscillation can be made to represent a binary digit by the choice between two stationary phases pi radians (180 degrees) apart.
Parametrons were used in early Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese computer
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...
s from 1954 through the early 1960s. A prototype parametron-based computer, the PC-1, was built at the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
in 1958. Parametrons were used in early Japanese computers due to being reliable and inexpensive but were ultimately surpassed by transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
s due to differences in speed.