census tabulator
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A census tabulator is a business machine designed to tabulate data. It is particularly noted for its ability to sort and select information from marked or perforated cards.1
The development of the census tabulator was a significant step towards the electronic computer. Herman Hollerith invented a tabulating machine that used punched cards to record and sort statistical data by electrically reading numerically encoded perforations. This invention dramatically sped up the tabulation process for the U.S. Census, making it feasible to process the growing amount of data collected. Hollerith's success with the 1890 U.S. Census led to the widespread adoption of his machines in Europe and eventually to the formation of the company that grew into IBM.23
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- Herman Hollerith
…the problem of automating the tabulation work of the census. The complete tabulation of the data from the 1880 census had taken seven years, and the 1890 census aimed to collect even more data, leading some to question if the 1890 census would be complete before the next census in…
Read More…the problem of automating the tabulation work of the census. The complete tabulation of the data from the 1880 census had taken seven years, and the 1890 census aimed to collect even more data, leading some to question if the 1890 census would be complete before the next census in…
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computerHerman Hollerith’s census tabulatorThe U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be performed every 10 years. The first attempt at any mechanization of the census was in 1870, when statistical data were transcribed onto a rolling paper tape displayed through a small slotted window.…
Read MoreThe U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be performed every 10 years. The first attempt at any mechanization of the census was in 1870, when statistical data were transcribed onto a rolling paper tape displayed through a small slotted window.…
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