Lesson plan
Decimal computer
displays A decimal computer is a computer that represents and operates on numbers and addresses in decimal format instead of binary as is common in most modern computers. Some decimal computers had a variable word length, which enabled operations on relatively large numbers. Decimal computers were common from the early machines through the 1960s and into the 1970s. Using decimal directly saved the need to convert from decimal to binary for input and output and offered a significant speed improvement over binary machines that performed these conversions using subroutines. This allowed otherwise low-end machines to offer practical performance for roles like accounting and bookkeeping, and many low- and mid-range systems of the era were decimal based. The IBM System/360 line of binary computers, announced in 1964, included instructions that perform decimal arithmetic; other lines of binary computers with decimal arithmetic instructions followed. During the 1970s, microprocessors with instructions supporting decimal arithmetic became common in electronic calculators, cash registers and similar roles, especially in the 8-bit era. The rapid improvements in general performance of binary machines eroded the value of decimal operations. One of the last major new designs to support it was the Motorola 68000, which shipped in 1980.…
Article summary
displays A decimal computer is a computer that represents and operates on numbers and addresses in decimal format instead of binary as is common in most modern computers. Some decimal computers had a variable word length, which enabled operations on relatively large numbers. Decimal computers were common from the early machines through the 1960s and into the 1970s. Using decimal directly saved the need to convert from decimal to binary for input and output and offered a significant speed improvement over binary machines that performed these conversions using subroutines. This allowed otherwise low-end machines to offer practical performance for roles like accounting and bookkeeping, and many low- and mid-range systems of the era were decimal based. The IBM System/360 line of binary computers, announced in 1964, included instructions that perform decimal arithmetic; other lines of binary computers with decimal arithmetic instructions followed. During the 1970s, microprocessors with instructions supporting decimal arithmetic became common in electronic calculators, cash registers and similar roles, especially in the 8-bit era. The rapid improvements in general performance of binary machines eroded the value of decimal operations. One of the last major new designs to support it was the Motorola 68000, which shipped in 1980.…
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.