Supercomputers are the largest and fastest computers available at any point in time. The term was used for the first time in the New York World, March 1920, to describe "new statistical machines with the mental power of 100 skilled mathematicians in solving even highly complex algebraic problems. " Invented by Mendenhall and Warren, these machines were used at Columbia University'S Statistical Bureau. Recently, supercomputers have been used primarily to solve large-scale prob lems in science and engineering. Solutions of systems of partial differential equa tions, such as those found in...

Supercomputers are the largest and fastest computers available at any point in time. The term was used for the first time in the New York World, March 1920, to describe "new statistical machines with the mental power of 100 skilled mathematicians in solving even highly complex algebraic problems. " Invented by Mendenhall and Warren, these machines were used at Columbia University'S Statistical Bureau. Recently, supercomputers have been used primarily to solve large-scale prob lems in science and engineering. Solutions of systems of partial differential equa tions, such as those found in...