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From: ran@ho95b.UUCP (RANeinast)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: MultivAC question (WRONGO!)
Message-ID: <434@ho95b.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-May-85 08:01:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: ho95b.434
Posted: Wed May 29 08:01:53 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 30-May-85 07:22:51 EDT
Organization: AT&T-Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 32

>	A while back, when all the discussion of Asimov's Multivac
>stories was taking place, I asked the burning question: 'What does the
>AC at the end of Multivac et. al. stand for?'.

>	I received 9 responses, of which 5 were correct. I guess that
>this shows that net-landers read the classics (or maybe we're just
>old).  The first correct answer came from Bob Carter <carter@rutgers>,
>whose two-word reponse was 'Analogue Computer'.  While I strongly
>suspect Asimov used the US spelling of 'analog', this is close enough
>and Bob may have his ten bonus points.  Check 'The Last Question' in
>Nine Tommorows for this answer.

>	Incorrect responses centered around analogies to Univac:
>(UNIVersal Automatic Computer). This is a very easy error, and I
>suspect that The Good Doctor had Univac in mind when he wrote the
>story.  Other suggestions were Algorithmic Computer, Analytic(al)
>Calculator, and Asimov's Computer (or Asimov and Clarke (!)).

I'm afraid that YOU are wrong.  Asimov, in his autobiography
("In Memory Yet Green", p663, large-size paperback), states
the origin of "Multivac".  He (erroneously) thought that Univac
had one vacuum tube (Uni-Vac), so a big, future machine would have
many, many vacuum tubes (Multi-Vac).  Therefore the AC at the end
of Multivac DOESN'T STAND FOR ANYTHING.

However, you are correct in that the AC at the end of Univac DOES
stand for Analog Computer.
-- 

". . . and shun the frumious Bandersnatch."
Robert Neinast (ihnp4!ho95b!ran)
AT&T-Bell Labs