How many multiplications can the IBM compute per second hidden figures?

The IBM 7090: More Than Just a Machine in “Hidden Figures”

Okay, so you’ve probably seen “Hidden Figures,” right? That movie gave us a glimpse into the incredible work done by NASA’s human computers. But it also showed off this beast of a machine, the IBM 7090. It wasn’t just some prop; it was a game-changer. This thing helped launch rockets and get us into space! But how powerful was it, really? Let’s break it down.

Before these electronic brains came along, NASA relied on brilliant mathematicians, many of them women, crunching numbers by hand. Imagine doing all those calculations for a space mission with just a pencil and paper! The 7090? It was like going from a horse-drawn carriage to a rocket ship in terms of computing power.

This wasn’t your grandpa’s computer (unless your grandpa was a super-genius engineer). The IBM 7090, rolled out in 1959, was a second-generation mainframe, and the big deal was it used transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Think of it like this: transistors are smaller, faster, and way more reliable. It was a huge step up from the IBM 709, its vacuum-tube-filled predecessor. We’re talking about a machine that could zip along at roughly 100 Kflop/s. Not bad for the late ’50s, eh?

Now, “Hidden Figures” gives you the general idea that this thing was fast, but let’s get specific. The IBM 7090 could crank out around 39,500 multiplications every single second. Seriously, try doing that by hand! It’s mind-boggling.

But it wasn’t just a multiplication machine. It could handle all sorts of instructions. We’re talking about 229,000 additions or subtractions per second, or even 32,700 divisions. That’s like having a super-powered calculator that could do pretty much anything you threw at it. Apparently, it could process around 229,000 instructions per second. Pretty wild, huh?

And get this: it could even handle floating-point stuff – those decimals that are crucial for scientific calculations. It could do around 37,730 floating-point multiplications and 32,050 floating-point divisions per second.

Of course, all this power came at a price. Back in 1960, a 7090 system would set you back about $2.9 million. That’s like $23 million today! Or you could rent it for a cool $63,500 a month (half a million in today’s money). But for places like NASA, which needed to solve insanely complex problems in a hurry, it was worth every penny.

They even upgraded it later! The IBM 7094 was twice as fast. NASA used that one to control the Mercury and Gemini missions. Talk about pressure!

The IBM 7090 wasn’t just a machine; it was a turning point. It cemented IBM’s place as the king of mainframes and showed everyone what transistorized computers could really do. It paved the way for all the technology we take for granted today. So, next time you see “Hidden Figures,” remember that the 7090 was more than just a prop. It was a key player in getting us to space.