Signedunsigned
Historical AttributesProbably part of the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, commonly known as the Harvard MARK I.
According to a brochure published by IBM in 1945:
"The IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, an algebraic mechanism employing a unique automatic sequence control, is designed to solve, rapidly and accurately, practically any known problem in applied mathematics."
A detailed description of the history of MARK I, as well as how it works, can be found on the following website.
ProvenanceOn March 13, 1997, the following instrument was picked up from the Howard H. Aiken computation Laboratory, 33 Oxford Street. The instrument was transferred to the Collection by Edward P. Jackson, Facilities Manager in the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The following instruments were on exhibition in the entrance area adjacent to IBM Mark I computer on the first floor of the Science Centre, Harvard University.