University of Virginia Library

New Computer To Help
Undergraduate Engineers

Undergraduate students at the
University's School of Engineering
and Applied Science have a new
"friend" a good listener and a
hard worker.

The newcomer can listen to up
to 16 students at a time, solving
complex problems for them in a
matter of seconds.

It's a Hewlitt Packard 2000A
computer, purchased through a
$142,000 grant from the National
Science Foundation and recently
installed in the engineering school.
Exclusively for the use of undergraduates
in the engineering school,
the computer is available 24 hours a
day, seven days a week.

"This is the only computer of
this type solely for the purpose of
undergraduate engineering education
in the country," says Avery
Catlin, associate dean of the engineering
school.

"I very engineer will use a
computer in the daily practice of
his profession," says Mr. Catlin.
"Computers have become standard
tools for engineers and we want our
students to learn to use them as
such."

This year first-year students
have an hour course each week on
computer programming and use.
Second-year students are introduced
to the computer in their
mathematics course. Third and
fourth-year students use it in their
engineering courses. "In two years,
all the courses in the engineering
school will utilize the computer,"
says Mr. Catlin.

"Because of the computer, engineering
seems more realistic to
incoming students," says Mr. Catlin.

The computer, which can perform
500 additions in 1/100 of a
second, works on a "time-sharing"
basis. Because of its high speed, a
number of students can use it
simultaneously, but each one will
have the illusion that he is the sole
user.

Data is typed directly onto the
computer over telephone lines connected
to teletype machines similar
to regular typewriters. The computer
works on each student's
program for a fraction of a second
and then shifts to the next program
so quickly that students get results
within seconds.

"With a time-sharing system,
students feel they are conversing
with the computer. This isn't
possible with the conventional
set-up using punched cards. A
person wanting to use a computer
may have to go back half a dozen
times before he has removed all
mistakes de-bugged and his
program is ready to run," says Mr.
Catlin.

Time-consuming de-bugging is
virtually eliminated on a timesharing
system. "A computer needs
to be told precisely what to do,"
says Mr. Catlin. "If there are any
mistakes in language or logic, down
to a misplaced comma, the program
won't run. In the time-sharing
system, the computer tells you
right away there is a mistake and, if
it is a mistake in language, tells you
what the mistake is. The program
can be de-bugged on the spot."

The computer converses in the
BASIC language a simple computer
language developed especially
for time-sharing systems.

To use the computer, the
student dials a code on a telephone
and then places the receiver on a
transmitting device. He types
"hello" on the teletype and the
computer answers "ready." When
the data is in, the program has run
and the problem is solved, the user
types "bye" and hangs up, freeing
the line.

"Students really get the idea
they're communicating with the
machine. One students recently
typed some rather strong language
into the computer when his program
wouldn't run. The computer,
of course, ignored it," Mr. Catlin
recalls with a laugh.

First-Yearman Michael Martin Tunes In Using Code Number

Computer For Undergraduate Use Accommodates 16 Simultaneous Users