A comprehensive survey of the most important components for electronic
digital computers, as well as a description of their use in typical circuits,
was given in a number of papers published by the author in laboratory
reports. The circuits themselves which, as a rule, can be reduced to a few
simple basic circuits, are also of importance in other fields of information
technique. It seemed, however, of little purpose to consider the circuits
in complete isolation. By investigating the tasks which they fulfil as components
in electronic computers, we have gained a picture which is also useful
in other fields.
The author has gladly followed the suggestion of the publishers to allow
this series of papers to appear as a book. In view of the enormous strides
made by digital techniques in but a few years, and anticipating further rapid
development, this book cannot in any way claim to be comprehensive; this
holds good with respect to the principles as well as to the components and
circuits described. The book is merely intended as an introduction to digital
computing which will provide the reader with easy access to the actual
problems. The literature quoted at the end of the book will be helpful in
this respect. With these points in mind, the contents have been limited to
the essential fundamentals, and only those components have been included
which are already firmly established in the technique of digital information
processing.