In the early 1950s, NIST found itself with an electron accelerator that another federal lab did not want. Synchrotron radiation is emitted by electrons that are accelerated in a magnetic field. But back in 1961, this research tool was little more than a curiosity outside of NIST, where the first regular experiments using synchrotron light were carried out. The technology is used, for example, to analyze protein structures as a basis for designing new drugs. Today's scientists compete for time on synchrotrons-large, donut-shaped facilities that produce a unique type of radiation. 1961: Synchrotron Sheds New Light on Research Among census-related applications, the machines collected data on which the nation's unemployment figures were based for more than 30 years. The machines also were used to scan microfilms of archival weather data and special films made in underwater instruments. Various models were used by or for federal agencies to process data on fallout shelters, atmospheric pollutants, medical records, postal mail volume, and other surveys. Twelve different versions of FOSDIC were developed and put into service from 1954 through 1998. The last model used in the 1990 census operated at 20 times this rate. Scanning with a cathode ray tube under the direction of a computer program, the first FOSDIC translated up to 10 million "answer positions" per hour into computer input. FOSDIC enabled the switch to multiple-choice documents and, by 1970, self-enumeration by the public, a cost-saving measure. Updated versions of the device processed data collected in the censuses held every 10 years from 1960 until 1990, introducing automation to this massive survey.īefore FOSDIC, census data were key-punched into cards. The Film Optical Sensing Device for Input to Computers, which scanned microfilm of hand-marked forms and converted the markings into electronic form, was developed by NIST for the U.S. Without realizing it, most Americans adults likely have had some of their household information scrutinized by FOSDIC.
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