Elliott 503 User Manual
DIGITAL COMPUTER
FOR SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
ELLIOTT
503
ULTRA HIGH SPEED DIGITAL
COMPUTER
FOR SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
Elliott Brothers have developed the 503 to meet
the demand for computers operating at much higher
speeds
than
hitherto without a corresponding in-
crease
in
cost. This computer
will
revolutionise the
economics of computer usage in several ways
(i) it will handle problems which were formerly
more cheaply solved by manual methods.
(ii)
it
will
provide computing facilities for organisations with a large number of individual users. Due
to the high speed of the computer, and the simplified
programming and operating methods being developed, owners of 503 can
run
as many as zoo
different programmes each day.
(iii)
it
will
tackle the most complex problems
arising in science and industry, formerly beyond the
scope of small or medium-sized computers.
As
an
illustration of the advance on currently
available computers which the 503 represents, it is
interesting to compare it
with
the 803. The National-
Elliott 803
is
a small general purpose transistorised
computer which
is
the most popular European
zomputer ever produced. Yet the 503 is about one
hundred times faster than
this
machine and costs
less
than
twice as much!
The 503 is a general purpose computer of great
speed and flexibility, intended mainly for the solution of technical problems arising in science and
industry. It is essentially
straightforward
in design,
but so exceptionally fast that high problem-solving
speeds are obtained.
The computer incorporates many features unique
among medium-sized
data
processing systems
*
~oo,ooo
arithmetic operations per second.
*
Large magnetic core store.
*
Time-sharing ofperipheral data-transfers.
*
Fixed andjoating point arithmetic.
*
Direct connection
of
high-speed input and output
equipment.
*
Compatibility with well-known
803
computer.
*
Auxiliary magnetic core storage
of
almost unlimited
capacity.
*
ALGOL Automatic Programming System.
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