Editing Computer (section)

===Digital circuits===
In the 1930s, Japanese [[NEC]] engineer [[Akira Nakashima]] introduced [[switching circuit theory]]. In a series of papers published from 1934 to 1936, he formulated a [[Wikipedia:Two-element Boolean algebra|two-valued Boolean algebra]], which he discovered independently, as a way to analyze and design circuits by algebraic means.<ref>[https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ieejfms/124/8/124_8_720/_article History of Research on Switching Theory in Japan], ''IEEJ Transactions on Fundamentals and Materials'', Vol. 124 (2004) No. 8, pp. 720-726, [[Wikipedia:Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan|Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan]]</ref><ref>[http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/0002.html Switching Theory/Relay Circuit Network Theory/Theory of Logical Mathematics], IPSJ Computer Museum, [[Wikipedia:Information Processing Society of Japan|Information Processing Society of Japan]]</ref><ref name="historical">Radomir S. Stanković ([[Wikipedia:University of Niš|University of Niš]]), Jaakko T. Astola (Tampere University of Technology), Mark G. Karpovsky ([[Wikipedia:Boston University|Boston University]]), [http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.66.1248 Some Historical Remarks on Switching Theory], 2007, DOI 10.1.1.66.1248</ref><ref name="nakashima">Radomir S. Stanković, Jaakko Astola (2008), [http://ticsp.cs.tut.fi/reports/reprint-nakashima-rr.pdf Reprints from the Early Days of Information Sciences: TICSP Series On the Contributions of Akira Nakashima to Switching Theory], TICSP Series #40, Tampere International Center for Signal Processing, [[Wikipedia:Tampere University of Technology|Tampere University of Technology]]</ref>

Nakashima's work was later cited and elaborated on by American engineer Claude Shannon,<ref name="historical"/> who showed a one-to-one correspondence between the concepts of [[Wikipedia:Boolean logic|Boolean logic]] and certain electrical circuits, now called [[Wikipedia:Logic gate|logic gates]], which are now ubiquitous in digital computers.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Shannon | first1 = Claude | year = 1938 | title = A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits | url = | journal = Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers | volume = 57 | issue = | pages = 713–723 | doi=10.1109/t-aiee.1938.5057767}}</ref> He showed that electronic relays and switches can realize the expressions of [[Wikipedia:Boolean algebra (logic)|Boolean algebra]].<ref>{{Citation  | first = Claude E.  | last =  Shannon  | title = A symbolic analysis of relay and switching circuits  | publisher = Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering  | year= 1940}}</ref> The work of Nakashima and Shannon laid the foundations for practical [[Wikipedia:Digital circuit|digital circuit]] design, providing the mathematical foundations and tools for digital system design in almost all areas of modern technology.<ref name="nakashima"/>