mercury delay line
Quick Summary
The mercury delay line was an early computer memory device. It consisted of a tube filled with mercury, which stored data as ultrasonic waves. This technology was instrumental in increasing computer storage and reliability before the invention of magnetic core memory and transistors.1
The concept of using a delay line for information transmission was explored by physicists, and in the context of early computers like EDVAC, it offered a significant improvement over storing each bit in a separate vacuum tube. For instance, EDVAC could store 1,000 bits using a delay line and only 10 vacuum tubes, a vast improvement over ENIAC's requirement of one tube per bit.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
