Ferranti Mark I computer

E99166

The Ferranti Mark I computer was one of the world’s first commercially available general-purpose electronic computers, developed in the early 1950s from the Manchester Mark I design.


Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf commercial computer
early British computer
general-purpose electronic computer
stored-program computer
alsoKnownAs Manchester Electronic Computer Mark I NERFINISHED
architecture serial binary
basedOn Ferranti Mark I computer
surface form: "Manchester Mark I"
category first-generation computer
clockFrequency about 1 MHz
commercialAvailability one of the world’s first commercially available general-purpose electronic computers
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
developer Ferranti NERFINISHED
drumStorageCapacity several thousand 40-bit words on magnetic drum
era early 1950s
firstInstallationCountry United Kingdom NERFINISHED
firstInstallationSite University of Manchester NERFINISHED
historicalSignificance among the earliest stored-program computers sold commercially
influenced later Ferranti computers
influencedBy Manchester Baby
inputDevice paper tape reader
introductionYear 1951
locationOfDevelopment Manchester
University of Manchester NERFINISHED
notableApplication early computer music experiments
mathematical research
scientific computation
notablePersonAssociated Alan Turing
Frederic C. Williams NERFINISHED
Tom Kilburn
notableSoftware early compiler-like systems
numberBuilt a small number of machines
operatingPrinciple stored-program binary computation
outputDevice paper tape punch
teleprinter
powerSource vacuum tubes
primaryMemoryType Williams tube
programmingLanguageSupport machine code
secondaryMemoryType magnetic drum
storageCapacity tens of 40-bit words on Williams tubes
successor Ferranti Mark I* NERFINISHED
Ferranti Mercury NERFINISHED
technology thermionic valves
usedFor industrial calculations
university research
wordLength 40-bit word
plus 8-bit instruction

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ferranti Mark I computer basedOn Ferranti Mark I computer
subject surface form: "Ferranti Mark I"
this entity surface form: "Manchester Mark I"
Ferranti commercialized Ferranti Mark I computer
this entity surface form: "Manchester Mark 1 design as Ferranti Mark 1"
Conway Berners-Lee notableWork Ferranti Mark I computer
this entity surface form: "Ferranti Mark 1"
Ferranti notableWork Ferranti Mark I computer
this entity surface form: "Ferranti Mark 1"
Ferranti notableWork Ferranti Mark I computer
this entity surface form: "Ferranti Mark 1 Star"
Ferranti notableWork Ferranti Mark I computer
this entity surface form: "Ferranti Mercury"
Mary Lee Woods workedOn Ferranti Mark I computer

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