Abstract :
In January 1950, George W. Reitwiesner published an article describing the first use of a computer, the ENIAC, to calculate the decimal expansion of π. Starting with Reitwiesner´s description of the calculation, the ENIAC´s architecture, how it was programmed, and the mathematics used, this article examines why the calculation was undertaken, how it was done, and what was subsequently learned.
Keywords :
general purpose computers; π decimal expansion; ENIAC architecture; general-purpose computer; Computational modeling; Encoding; History; Mathematics; Monte Carlo methods; Programming; Transmitters; Computational modeling; Computers; ENIAC; ENIAC architecture; Encoding; George W. Reitwiesner; History; John von Neumann; Mathematics; Monte Carlo methods; Programming; Transmitters; determination of π; early mathematical applications of computers; general purpose computers; general-purpose computer; history of computing; theoretical mathematics; ¿ decimal expansion;
