Overview

In the post-World War II years, computers became increasingly important for solving very difficult problems in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other fields of science. By making it possible to find numerical solutions to equations that could not be solved analytically, computers helped to revolutionize many areas of scientific inquiry and engineering design. This trend continues as supercomputers are used to model weather systems, nuclear explosions, and airflow around new airplane designs. Since this trend has not yet leveled off, it is still too soon to say what the final result of these computational methods will be, but they have been revolutionary thus far and seem likely to become even more important in the future.

Background

The first attempts to invent devices to help with mathematical calculations date back at least 2,000 years, to the ancestor of the abacus. "Rod numerals...