Computer Number System

"A fascinating compendium of information about writing systems–both for words and numbers." –Publishers Weekly "A truly enlightening and fascinating study for the mathematically oriented reader." –Booklist "Well researched. . . . This book is a rich resource for those involved in researching the history of computers." –The Mathematics Teacher In this brilliant follow-up to his landmark international bestseller, The Universal History of Numbers, Georges Ifrah traces the development of computing from the invention of the abacus to the creation of the binary system three centuries ago to the incredible conceptual, scientific, and technical achievements that made the first modern computers possible. Ifrah takes us along as he visits mathematicians, visionaries, philosophers, and scholars from every corner of the world and every period of history. We learn about the births of the pocket calculator, the adding machine, the cash register, and even automata. We find out how the origins of the computer can be found in the European Renaissance, along with how World War II influenced the development of analytical calculation. And we explore such hot topics as numerical codes and the recent discovery of new kinds of number systems, such as "surreal" numbers. Adventurous and enthralling, The Universal History of Computing is an astonishing achievement that not only unravels the epic tale of computing, but also tells the compelling story of human intelligence–and how much further we still have to go.

A comprehensive introduction to reliability and availability modeling, analysis, and design at the system, hardware, and software levels Reliability of Computer Systems and Networks presents the fundamentals of reliability and availability analysis for various computer hardware, software, and networked systems. Reliability and availability as major objectives in system design are the focus. Various redundancy and fault-tolerant techniques, as well as error-correcting coding techniques are treated. The author proposes a high-level design approach based on apportioning the reliability and availability goals to subsystems and provides various techniques for achieving these subsystem goals. The next step is an efficient, exact optimization approach based on upper and lower bounds to minimize the number of feasible candidates. The most readily applied methods for analysis are utilized and design techniques are derived from basic principles. Analytical simplifications and approximations are developed to validate the results of computer models used for large-scale complex problems. Coverage includes: Coding and decoding schemes for error detection and correction including chip reliabilityComparison of the reliability and availability of parallel, standby, and majority voting architecturesFormulation, solution, and interpretation of Markov models for repairable systemsIntroduction and comparison of various RAID memory systemsThe architecture and fault-tolerant principles of TANDEM and STRATUS non-stop computer systemsPractical and tutorial examples and numerous practice problemsAppendices which cover the necessary background material on probability, reliability, andarchitecture Reliability of Computer Systems and Networks offers in-depth and up-to-date coverage of reliability and availability for students with a focus on important applications areas, computer systems, and networks.