EDSAC mercury memory tank cover

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  • Details
  • Description
Date Introduced
1949
Photographer
Richards, Mark
Dimensions
overall: 7 in x 13 in x 7 1/2 in
Manufacturer
Cambridge University Computation Laboratory
Credit Line
Loan courtesy of Science Museum of London
Copyright Owner
© Mark Richards
Object ID
X336.84
Speed
700 adds/s
Memory Type
Mercury delay lines
Memory Size
512 words
Memory Width
36-bit

Cambridge’s EDSAC, the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator, used mercury delay line memory. Originally designed for radar displays, delay lines provided memory for many first-generation computers. EDSAC’s 32 mercury tanks could each hold 32 18–bit words.