Table of Contents
- 1 Where is the Colossus computer now?
- 2 Why was the Colossus computer destroyed?
- 3 Why was Colossus kept secret?
- 4 What were the two main problems caused by using the valves in Colossus?
- 5 Why do you think information about Colossus was kept for 30 years after the war ended?
- 6 Why was the Colossus kept a secret for 30 years?
- 7 What was the speed of the Colossus machine?
- 8 How many characters per second did the Colossus read?
Where is the Colossus computer now?
A functioning rebuild of a Mark 2 Colossus was completed in 2008 by Tony Sale and a team of volunteers; it is on display at The National Museum of Computing on Bletchley Park.
Why was the Colossus computer destroyed?
After the war the British codebreakers found out that the code machine was the Lorenz SZ42. All the secret Colossus computers were taken to pieces, so that no one would find out about them. The designs were destroyed. For thirty years no one knew who made them.
What happened to the Colossus computer after the war?
After the war all Colossi were dismantled. Immediately after WWII, most Colossus computers were ordered to be demolished. They were either destroyed or dismantled and the components were reused. Two machines were kept for future use by GCHQ during the Cold War.
How did the Colossus machine work?
Running Colossus The Colossus machine was driven by the tape reader which scanned punch holes in a tape representing the cipher text of a message. The punch holes were converted by a photoelectric reader into a sequence of pulses which were then sent to the arithmetic and logic circuits of Colossus for processing.
Why was Colossus kept secret?
News of the existence of the Colossus, widely regarded as the first electronic computer, was kept top secret for 30 years partly because of the sophistication of its methods to help break Lorenz messages by finding the frequently changing wheel patterns of the Lorenz encryption machine.
What were the two main problems caused by using the valves in Colossus?
One of the problems was that the valves were made of glass and it was easy for them to break. The second problem was that the machines were known to have high failure rates.
Why was the Colossus kept secret for 30 years?
Why was the colossus kept a secret?
Why do you think information about Colossus was kept for 30 years after the war ended?
Why was the Colossus kept a secret for 30 years?
Did they have computers in ww2?
During WWII there were many kinds of specialized computers designed to use mechanical methods to make calculations. The Colossus was the first electronic computer—and it was designed to work in concert with the Bombe to break the Enigma’s ciphers. During WWII the US developed it’s own large computer.
Who built the Colossus?
The Colossus Computer Tommy Flowers spent eleven months designing and building Colossus at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill, in North West London.
What was the speed of the Colossus machine?
The Colossus machine greatly surpassed the ability of the Heath Robinson. It was able to read in paper tape at 5000 characters per second, five times as fast as Heath Robinson. Additionally, the Colossus did not need two paper tapes because the output from the χ wheels was generated entirely electronically.
How many characters per second did the Colossus read?
It was able to read in paper tape at 5000 characters per second, five times as fast as Heath Robinson. Additionally, the Colossus did not need two paper tapes because the output from the χ wheels was generated entirely electronically. Thus, the only tape needed as input was the encrypted message.
How was programming done on the Colossus machine?
The programming was done through plugboards and switches on the back of the machine. Although this seems very different from modern computers which store programs in memory, the electronic generation of the χ wheel output stream makes the Colossus a revolutionary machine.
When was Colossus made operational after World War 2?
The existence of Colossus remained a secret long after WWII. Until recently ENIAC was thought to be the first, but the secrecy of Colossus was finally lifted and we find it (and 9 others) were first operational in Jan 1944 while various portions of ENIAC were made operational in the period of June 1944 through October 1945.