Abstract :
The paper deals briefly with the simple principles and the various essentials of any digital computer. It then deals specifically with the Manchester Machine and shows how its mode of operation is moulded around the cathode-ray tube storage system. The provision of a large capacity ¿memory¿ by means of magnetic recording on a rotating drum is discussed and also the methods of communication with the machine. Mention is made of maintenance techniques which have been used to keep the machine operative for mathematical work since July 1951.
