Exploring Word Length and Machine Capabilities

This chapter dives into the significance of an 18-bit word size in the PDP-1 computer, detailing its impact on data manipulation, math operations, and system design. Contrasting with modern power-of-2 word sizes, it discusses historical context and compares the word size differences between machines like the IBM 1401 and the IBM 709 for various computational tasks. Additionally, it explores the concept of expandability in early computer systems, focusing on the PDP-1's design for easy expansion and the evolution of interrupts in computing history.