Museum of Computing Machinery

Calculators or computers? Originally, "computer" was a profession: before the era of the electronic computer, if long and complex calculations were necessary, groups of men and women were employed to perform the calculations and then compare the results. From the 1800s to the 1970s, a tool accompanied pen and paper: the mechanical calculator, of which you see many examples in the display case on the left. The calculating machine speeds up the work, but the human computer had to know the correct procedure and perform the steps without errors. Between the 1940s and 1970s, the electronic computer replaced the human computer, but its role did not change: the calculator performs operations, and the computer executes programs. The computer is responsible for the calculation process. At the back of the room, the Programma 101 is the junction point between the two concepts: calculator and computer. Used by NASA's women computers to perform calculations for the moon landing, but also capable of running programs in homes and schools, it marks the beginning of the Personal Computer era.