Vannevar Bush

Vannevar Bush (Bush Vannevar) (March 11, 1890, Everett, pc. Massachusetts - June 28, 1974, Belmont, pc. Massachusetts), an American scientist, founder of the differential analyzer, the first differential analog computer.

In 1914-17 he worked at Tufts University in Medforde (Massachusetts), where he taught and conducted research for the detection of submarines for the Navy U.S.. In 1919 enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. In the late 1920's invented a network analyzer, simulating the work of large electrical networks.

Since 1930, together with a group of colleagues worked to develop a differential analyzer, intended for solving differential equations. The analyzer is powered by electricity, and to store the information it used vacuum tubes, similar to those used in the 1930's on the radio. The machine is capable of manipulating 18 independent variables, was a harbinger of rapid development of electronic computers after World War II. However, Bush's differential analyzer was a significant disadvantage - it took an entire room and had a significant weight. Thus, even the later model of the differential analyzer was built in 1942, weighed 200 tons!

In 1940, Bush was elected chairman of the National Defense Research Committee. During the Second World War, Bush became director of the newly established Committee on Research and Development, which coordinated the research in the field of armaments.

After the war (1946-47) Bush led the Joint Commission on Research and Development.

From 1939 to 1955, Bush served as president of the Carnegie Institution.