An electronic calculator for punched-card accountancy

This paper gives an example of the way in which electronic techniques are being harnessed to mechanize accountancy. The actual calculator described is a commercial product, designed for use with standard punched-card machines. It will read numbers off a card, calculate new information from these and punch the answers back into the same card, handling 100 cards per minute. It can add, subtract, multiply and divide, both in decimal and £ s. d. notation, and can be easily preset to perform any sequence of these operations. This sequence can be modified by special instructions on the card or as the result of a step in the calculation. Facilities exist for an automatic and thorough check that the correct answers have been punched into the card.