FORTRAN
FORTRAN was the dominant higher level programming language in use during WDPC's history. It was the language that I (Sprowls) and others who taught the course, used in BA 119, Electronic Computers in Business. I set out to develop a set of problems from different academic areas for which students would write programs. Professors Elwood Buffa (Production Management) and Alan Drebin IAccounting) were faculty members who contributed problems for the computer
The result was a manual, Electronic Computers in Business, that was published in a final photocopied and bound volume by IBM in 1963. In this final form, it was about 1 3/4 inches thick and weighed over 4 pounds. It included a 71 page, self-contained introduction to FORTRAN programming followed by the programming problems.
Each exercise included a clear problem statement, a listing of typical input data, a suggested output format, and a flow chart of the procedure to be followed. The Appendix showed an actual program written in FORTRAN II for the IBM 1620. The 1620 was the computer loaned to the School by WDPC to be the student computer laboratory. Rosemary Peterson was a WDPC Programmer who specialized in the 1620 and wrote many of the programs.
Examples of the kind of problems assigned to students are listed by academic discipline below. In each list, one problem is selected and complete details provided.