GB735266A - Improvements in or relating to dividing machines - Google Patents

Abstract

735,266. Digital electric calculating-apparatus. MAUL, M. Aug. 10, 1953 [Sept. 11, 1952], No. 22066/63. Class 106 (1). A dividing machine in which divisor multiples are formed automatically and compared with the dividend to select the nearest value for subtraction, is characterized in that, under control of the comparing mechanism, divisor multiples are subtracted repeatedly, the divisor coming closest to the newly obtained partial dividend being selected each time, and column shifting being initiated only when the comparing mechanism detects that the partial dividend has become smaller than the divisor. The invention is described as an improved arrangement of the machine described in Specification 497,039, in which the first to the ninth multiples of the divisor are formed before the division proper; comparing devices determine the highest possible multiple which may be subtracted from the dividend, and after subtraction and registering of the quotient digit, a column shift is made and the comparing operation performed again. The present case obtains economy of apparatus and time of operation by providing for only three divisor multiples 1 Î, 2 Î and 5 Î . The dividend and divisor are sensed from a record card and entered into accumulators DD and DR respectively. The accumulator DR is so constructed that it indicates the first, second and fifth multiples of the divisor on the analysing devices for the accumulator setting. Comparison of these values with the partial dividend is carried out by a device V controlled by an impulse emitter 21. If the partial dividend is smaller than the fifth multiple a relay 5Q (not shown) is energized and shifts its contacts 5Q-2 to connect the diyidend accumulator to the next lower multiple, and so on. The quotient digit is entered in the highest order of the dividend accumulator DD. Substraction is performed by addition of the complement under the dividend accujulator DD. Substraction is performed by addition of the complement under control of an emitter 19. Column-shifting of the' contents of the dividend accumulator is initiated when comparison indicates that the partial dividend is smaller than the divisor. When the division is finished a contact u is shifted and the setting of the accumulator DD, containing the quotient and the remainder, is transferred to a punching device L for punching the results in the card. In a modification only the first two digits are compared for the purpose of selecting the appropriate divisor multiple. A lower multiple is selected if the compared digits are equal. Specification 665,046 also is referred to.