: the EDITOR'S \ column •
L.T.Hallett, Editor
Good Sensitivity • High Stability • Long Service • Low Maintenance
Welch TRIPLE-BEAM BALANCE SPEEDY, ACCURATE WEIGHING All Exposed Parts of StaUdete-
' T r a n s l a t i n g a foreign language, -*- such as Russian, into English by machines is a very intriguing p r o j ect. Considerable work has been carried out in this area. One a p proach, t h a t t a k e n by the N a t i o n a l Bureau of S t a n d a r d s for the A r m y Office of Ordnance Research, is in teresting. T h e system utilizes an electronic computer. While costs today are greater t h a n h u m a n translation costs, expected improve ments in shortcuts in programming and advanced computers now under construction should make the m a chine method competitive. From a theoretical point of view, the problem of translating from one language into another is not com pletely solvable. A sentence does not always successfully express a t h o u g h t ; furthermore, it is not pos sible to be sure t h a t this thought was perfectly formed before it was stated. Y e t it is t h e t a s k of the translator t o render such a possibly distorted statement into a target (translated) sentence which con veys the intent and import of the source (original) sentence. W i t h the additional requirement t h a t the task be automatized, the problem becomes formidable, especially since present-day computers do not have the capacity for rapid, eco nomical translation. I n view of these facts, N B S is experimenting with practical translation. Such a translation m a y be neither elegant nor complete, but nevertheless should convey the gist of the source material intelligibly and faithfully. T h e method consists of two parts. The first p a r t merely "looks u p " every source word in a RussianEnglish glossary. This glossary is stored, in greatly condensed form, on external media such as magnetic tape. Since Russian is a highly in flected language, only the stems are k e p t in the glossary. Prefixes and suffixes are also stored, but sepa rately from the glossary. To con serve limited memory space further, instructions dealing with refine ments of English grammar are not
Steel
3 graduated scale levels • Hard, Cobalite Knife Edges • Grooved Agate Bearings
PERFORMANCETESTED
SENSITIVITY 0.01 g. or less NO. 4 0 3 0 4030. 4031. 4030C.
CAPACITY 111g. (With extra weight 2 0 1 g.)
TRIPLE-BEAM B A L A N C E , High Form. AUXILIARY WEIGHT. PLASTIC COVER For No. 4030.
Each $27.50 Each $1.50 Each 11.60
W. M. WELCH SCIENTIFIC COMPANY DIVISION OF WELCH MANUFACTURING COMPANY
ΕSTABLISHED 188 0 1515 SEDGWICK STREET, DEPT. A - 1 , C H I C A G O 10, ILLINOIS, U.S.A. Manufacturers of Scientific Instruments and Laboratory Apparatus
Hevi-Duty
"G-07-PT" FURNACE temperatures to 2600° F. This furnace is designed for high-temperature work where accurate control and uniform ity are important. Controls, which provide 48 temperature gradients, and an indicating pyrometer are located in the pyramid base. For greatest uni formity in the heating chamber, three heating elements are in stalled over a n d t h r e e a r e beneath the refractory muffle. Write for Bulletin 957 for full details. Type
Watts
Chamber W.
L.
G-07-PT 3500 4" 7" 'Operating voltage either 115 or 230 A.C. only.
Price
H. 2%"
$585.00
•LABORATORY
FURNACES
MULTIPII UNIT I I — — Milwaukee 1 , Wisconsin
M A R K i — — • ELECTRIC
EXCLUSIVE
Circle No. 4B an Readers' Service Card VOL. 3 1 , N O . 8, AUGUST 1 9 5 9
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