Punched Cards [antikvár]

Preface In the present phase of our scientific age, a situation has developed in which research "publication has been extended far beyond our present ability to make real use of the record. The summation of human experience is being expanded at a prodigious rate and the means we use for threading through the consequent maze to the momentarily important item is the same as was used in the days of square-rigged ships.The very bulk of the rapidly expanding mass of scientific and technical information threatens to impair the usefulness of scientific investigation. The tendency of accumulations of scientific and technical information to become unwieldy is evident even in files of very modest size; even with small files of information, dissatisfaction has developed with the results obtained from conventional tools, such as ordinary file cards, classified report files, etc. It has been discovered that considerable improvement in speed and ease of locating information in files of modest size can be achieved by using punched cards of simple type, viz., edge-punched cards sold in the United States under the trademarks "Keysort," "E-Z Sort" and "Rocket" and in England as "Paramount" or "Cope-Chat" cards. This book is directed principally to the needs of the individual scientist, engineer, or other technologist, whether in the laboratory, field, industrial plant, library, school or executive office. Our primary purpose is to furnish sufficient information to permit the application of punched-card techniques to individual problems. However, the present state of knowledge of this subject does not allow full definitive treatment. There are many scattered bits of information about punched-card applications, each indicating the value of mechanical aids to the solution of intellectual problems. But, this knowledge needs to be extended and correlated. Many of the procedures described are preliminary, tentative and experimental. Therefore, another purpose of this book is to record present knowledge and experience so that better use of the presently available punched-card devices, and design of devices better suited to practical needs, will be stimulated. In addition, some general principles are discussed which may also apply to types of mechanical devices not yet invented. The hand-sorted edge-punched cards are discussed in greater detail than the machine-sorted cards. In fact, one object has been to make the book serve as an operating instruction manual for the edge-punched cards. It is not possible to do the same for machine-sorted cards within the scope of this book. The editors feel that familiarity with the easily learned sorting procedures and techniques of using hand-sorted cards will facilitate understanding of the more elaborate sorting procedures possible with machine-