Steam-driven computer

[mklotz]

In my early days in the aerospace ratrace, we had assistants, mostly female, called "computeresses". We would turn long, boring calculations over to them while we worked on more interesting things. One of the computeresses was armed with a Friden which had the capability to do square roots. When roots were required, the other gals would turn the calculation over to her.

I'm not sure how the root was calculated (perhaps Newton's method) but the machine would clatter away for what seemed an endless time to produce an answer. If one's office was within earshot of the machine it was nearly impossible to concentrate.

When electronic calculators finally appeared on the scene, many of us appreciated the silence more than we did the speed with which an answer appeared.