Impact of Linear Programming on Computer Development.

Abstract : In the post-War period 1947 - 1952, the United States Air Force transferred considerable funds to the National Bureau of Standards to subsidize the early development of computers, and peripherals such as high speed tapes and printers. These funds, over a million dollars, help finance SEAC, SWAC UNIVAC and early research of IBM. This paper presents an intimate view of the network of colleagues of the author during this early period, their contributions, their sponsors, and why computers were needed for the solution of a broad range of planning problems. The story of how the simplex method was discovered is told once again. Keywords: Duality theorem; Triangular models. (Author)