Space for the Physics of Plasmas Computer Anecdotes

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convection in the outer magnetosphere mists of military security and commercial Space for the physics in removing the upwelling thermal plasma sensitivity. from the ionosphere. Finally, no one seems Mr Wulforst is at his most useful when of plasmas to have been assigned the task of treating clearing away the latter haze. He describes electromagnetic radiation or ULF waves; the financial growing pains of the infant C.T. Russell Chorus is not even mentioned in the book Eckert-Mauchly computer company and Magnetospheric Plasma Physics. and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, its eventual takeover by Remington-Rand. Edited by Atsuhiro Nishida. kinetic Alfven waves and ion cyclotron There is the element of technological bluff Reidel: /982. Pp.344. DG/30, $49.50. resonance only get passing reference. in the delivery deadline quoted by Eckert This, then, is a good book but not a com Mauchly for their BINAC computer, their plete one. However, even the weaker attempts to get capital from sources as SPACE plasma physics is a mature, yet chapters have good bibliographies and the bizarre as the American Totalisator Co., dynamic, field of investigation. In such a inclusion of a subject index makes the book and the eventual trouncing of their de situation preparing a book presents con easy to use as a reference source. D tractors when the first UNIVAC machine siderable difficulties. There are very few was delivered to the US Bureau of the individuals who have a broad yet deep C. T. Russell is Professor of Geophysics and Census in the spring of 1951. If all this can enough understanding of each area to Space Plasma Physics at the University of be described as a "breakthrough", then it cover the field by themselves, while con California, Los Angeles. is in the sense of a credibility breakthrough: ference proceedings arc usually uneven and Eckert and Mauchly became convinced of incomplete. the usefulness of general purpose For this volume the editor has chosen an Computer anecdotes computers and then struggled hard to intermediate approach, selecting a small convince the paying public. number of the key researchers to write a Simon Lavington Turning to the analytical view of history, coordinated set of reviews. Thus each topic Mr Wulforst must be taken to task. He fails can be treated in the appropriate depth and Breakthrough to the Computer Age. to appreciate the important conceptual the entire field can be covered. As a result, By Harry Wulforst. difference between special-purpose com this book is clearly the best currently Charles Scribner's Sons: 1982. Pp./85. puters such as ENIAC and general purpose available account of magnetospheric $12.95. stored-program computers such as BINAC plasma physics. It is, however, not without and UNIVAC. To dwell on such techni flaws. Some important aspects of the sub CoMPUTER history is sufficiently recent for calities would, however, have spoilt his ject are completely omitted, and the style there to be a strong anecdotal tradition breakthrough theme because he would and level of each chapter is variable. which contrasts with the analytical treat have become involved in a serious treat The book consists of five chapters, the ment of the serious historian. There is, ment of non-American computer projects two best of which are by G. Haerendel and however, a need for both approaches. and, oh dear, a realization that the United G. Paschmann on the interaction of the Whilst the analyst quite rightly attempts to States was not the first in the field. What solar wind with the dayside magnetosphere define trends, chart influences and pin little coverage he gives to other computer and by C.F. Kennel and M. Ashour point "firsts", the fact of the matter is that developments is in parts actually Abdalla on electrostatic waves and strong many early computer research groups misleading. It is also thrown in so diffusion of magnetospheric electrons. proceeded in an ad hoc and relatively haphazardly that it disturbs the book's These contributions comprise almost 60 independent way, inventing techniques as main story. But here there is a hidden per cent of the text, and in themselves the need arose. There was, of course, inter parable: to Eckert and Mauchly working justify the book's purchase. They cover action and cross-fertilization but there under great pressure in the late 1940s the their subject well and will be useful to the were also personality clashes, commercial activities of other computer design teams advanced graduate student and the exploitation and political infighting which were largely irrelevant. So also with Mr specialist alike. militated against close cooperation. Break Wulforst. By contrast A.A. Galeev's chapter on through to the Computer Age leans heavily So let the anecdotes have the last word. magnetospheric tail dynamics, while also towards the anecdotal and is not much the There are two gems from the book which, very good, is written on too sophisticated a worse for that. in their different ways, have a message of level for most of whom I judge to be the Harry Wulforst is a former director of encouragement for today's design teams. potential readers of this volume. Further public information for Sperry Univac and The first comes from the eminent more, despite the title of the chapter, the his book lives up to his job description. He mathematician John von Neumann who, author concentrates on the microphysical reveals for public inspection the hitherto in 1945, was lobbying the Navy processes which are probably the conse blurred story of the American computer Department in Washington for quence of the global macroscopic pioneers J. Pres per Eckert and John government support for building a high dynamical instability of the magneto Mauchly, and their progression from the speed computer at the Institute for sphere-magnetotail system. huge ENIAC electronic calculator, via the Advanced Study, Princeton University. He The contribution on auroral physics by BINAC project, to the first UNIVAC com said, "A group which builds a computer is T. Sato is principally concerned with field mercial computer. It is a tale which high vastly better qualified to explore its aligned currents and double layers, two lights the years 1943-1951, spanning the possibilities experimentally than one which elements of auroral physics but far from transistion from war to precarious peace obtains it readymade". The second the complete story. Sato omits considera and, as far as computers go, the transition quotation comes from Howard Aiken, a tion of all wave phenomena except for a from experimentation to precarious pro well-respected computer pioneer whose few brief remarks on auroral kilometric duction. For the computer historian this work at Harvard preceded the Eckert radiation and ion acoustic solitons. The period is still to some extent fogged by the Mauchly enterprises. In 1950 Aiken was of generation of ion conics is not even men the opinion that "no more than six tioned. The last chapter-- on the origin of computers would ever be sold in the magnetospheric plasma -- discusses the American Antarctica commercial market''. D origin of the thermal plasma of the Earth Antarctic Wildlife, with photographs by Eric and Jupiter, i.e. the ionosphere for Earth Hosking and text by Bryan Sage, has just Simon Lavington is a Senior Lecturer in become available in the United States. Publisher Computer Science at the University of and Io for Jupiter. However the author is Facts on File, price $22.95. For review see Manchester, and author of Early British ignores the solar wind source almost Nature 300, 556 (1982). Computers (Manchester University Press, completely and particularly the role of 1980).