Yu Pufan (; 1923 – 27 June 2019) was a Chinese computer pioneer. He invented the earliest

dot matrix printing Dot matrix printing, sometimes called impact matrix printing, is a computer printing process in which ink is applied to a surface using a relatively low-resolution dot matrix for layout. Dot matrix printers typically use a print head that moves ...

method for

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...

in 1962 and developed then China's fastest computer in 1964, which was used in the explosion of China's first

nuclear bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

. He served as Vice President of East China Institute of Computer Technology.

Biography

Yu was born in 1923 in

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

, Republic of China. He graduated from the Department of Physics of the

University of Shanghai University of Shanghai, also known as Shanghai College and Hujiang University (), was a university established by the American Baptist Missionary Union and the Southern Baptist Convention in Shanghai. It was the predecessor of University of Sh ...

in 1945. In December 1959, Yu developed Type-103, the first

vacuum tube computer A vacuum-tube computer, now termed a first-generation computer, is a computer that uses vacuum tubes for logic circuitry. Although superseded by second-generation transistorized computers, vacuum-tube computers continued to be built into the 1960 ...

in Shanghai. In August 1962, he invented the earliest

method for

, and was awarded China's first National Invention Award by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

and

Nie Rongzhen Nie Rongzhen (; December 29, 1899 – May 14, 1992) was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader, and one of ten Marshals in the People's Liberation Army of China. He was the last surviving PLA officer with the rank of Marshal. Biography ...

. In 1964, Yu developed the J-501, then China's fastest vacuum tube computer capable of performing 50,000 calculations per second. It was used in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

, and especially in the explosion of China's first

in the same year. Yu was a committee member of the predecessor of the

China Computer Federation The China Computer Federation (CCF) is a professional body and learned society in the field of computer science in China. It was created under the name "Computer Professional Committee of China Electronics Society" () in June 1962. As of 2019, it ...

from 1962 to 1966. He also served as Vice President of East China Institute of Computer Technology. On 27 June 2019, Yu died at

Huadong Hospital Huadong Hospital () or East China Hospital, founded in 1921 as the Country Hospital, is a teaching hospital in Shanghai, China, affiliated with the Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University. Its main building, designed by László Hudec, is a Mu ...

in Shanghai at the age of 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Pufan 1923 births 2019 deaths Scientists from Ningbo Chinese computer scientists University of Shanghai alumni 20th-century Chinese inventors