Computer hardware development as a basis for numerical simulation

Computers were conceived as a replacement for the mechanical solution of engineering applications using simple calculators. The basic idea of Konrad Zuse and John von Neumann was to automate this process by introducing programmability, i.e. the description of the sequence of execution of individual steps of a longer algorithm including the possibility of resultdependent branches and loops. In this way, a universal calculating tool of enormous power was invented. Today, the solution of engineering applications and the field of numerical simulation are the necessary prerequisites for advances in science, products and services. Computers are even more often used for non-numerical commercial and consumer applications today, which shows the universal applicability of the concept. In the following, this article concentrates on the application of computers for numerical simulation.