The Actual Calculation
The calculation that the ENIAC solved for the army is an example of an iteration.
Starting with the initial conditions of the shell's position, velocity and
acceleration, it is possible to compute the path of the shell using a set
of equations. These equations will show how the position of the shell changes
over a short period of time (say 1/100th of a second). So, after one hundred
of these calculations, you'll know the position of the shell one second
after it has been fired.
Here are some simple versions of the equations:
Positionn+1 = Positionn + (Velocityn * T)
Velocityn+1 = Velocityn + (Accelerationn * T)
The actual equation that the ENIAC calculated was much more compliicated.
For all who are interested, here is the original equation:
Continue on to The Conditonal Branch...
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