At a time when there was no progress in the issuance of banknotes, the Academy of Science and Technology caused a lawsuit because of the invention of the hand-cranked computer.

On August 2, 1655, it was a Monday, and Gao Junshan was supposed to go to work at the Criminal Department.

The head of the Criminal Department is Tian Fang, who is a disciple of Chongwen, and is a rare minister-level disciple of Chongwen under the Civil Affairs Yuan.

Tian Fang has been having a headache for one thing these days, and two engineers from the Academy of Science and Technology have filed a lawsuit against him for an invention, which is a hand-cranked computer.

No, since Gao Junshan went to work in the Criminal Department, Tian Fang came to ask his teacher Gao Junshan for advice.

Gao Junshan just came to the yamen of the Criminal Department, and only said a few words, but before his buttocks were hot, Tian Fang asked Gao Junshan for advice: "Chief, the student received a case two days ago, there are two engineers in the Academy of Science and Technology, one is named Liu Wenhui, who is from the Department of Mathematics, and the other is Gu Xingteng, who is from the Department of Mechanics, and they accuse each other of stealing their own inventions. The students don't know how to decide such a case, so they ask the mountain chief for advice. ”

Gao Junshan asked, "What did they invent?" ”

Tian Fang said: "The student is not studying their major, it is an invention What kind of invention students do not dare to define arbitrarily, from their complaint, it seems to be a machine that can be used for calculation." ”

Gao Junshan was surprised: "Computer!? Hurry up and show me the paper. ”

Tian Fang had already prepared the paper, he handed it to Gao Junshan, and said, "Mountain Chief, it's this thing, and the students can't understand it." ”

Gao Junshan took the paper and looked at it, it turned out to be the one named Liu Wenhui who sued Gu Xingteng, saying that Gu Xingteng plagiarized his design concept to create a machine that could calculate. ”

"Did you question these two?" Gao Junshan asked.

"Not yet." Tian Fang replied, "Students still don't know how to determine right and wrong. ”

Gao Junshan said: "Let's ask them to ask for clarification first!" Send for them now, and wait for me to come and question them." ”

When the emperor came to try this case, of course Tian Fang couldn't ask for it, so he sent two messengers to call Liu Wenhui and Gu Xingteng over.

The Institute of Science and Technology was not far from here, and in twenty minutes, the two people were invited over, and when they saw Gao Junshan, they hurriedly saluted.

Gao Junshan asked: "Why do you two have a holiday to fight the criminal department to fight a lawsuit?" ”

Liu Wenhui replied first: "Chief Yushan, I was the first to design the arithmetic machine invented by Gu Xingteng, and he made my design concept without my consent, and said that he invented it. ”

Gao Junshan asked Gu Xingteng: "Is this the case?" ”

"Back to the mountain chief, the student didn't know what Liu Wenhui had designed at all, the arithmetic machine was designed by the student alone, and it had nothing to do with Liu Wenhui."

Gao Junshan asked Liu Wenhui: "Why do you say that Gu Xingteng uses your design concept?" ”

Liu Wenhui said: "The students have been engaged in the research of this work, just a few days ago, the students have already studied some eyebrows, and I heard that Gu Xingteng built this machine, which is not clear that he stole the students' design ideas!" ”

Gao Junshan asked Gu Xingteng again: "When did you start developing your machine?" ”

"It's been half a year since I returned to the mountain, and it has been renovated several times."

Gao Junshan asked Liu Wenhui again: "Do you know Liu Wenhui, do you know how the machine he built by Gu Xingteng works?" ”

Liu Wenhui said angrily: "The student has never seen it, how do you know what the working principle is?" ”

Gao Junshan asked again: "Since you haven't seen it, why do you say that Gu Xingteng stole your design concept?" ”

Liu Wenhui replied confidently: "The students have been engaged in research in this area for many years, and just after some results, Gu Xingteng said that he produced such a machine, which is not a theft of the students' design concept?" ”

Gao Junshan asked, "What are your achievements?" Can you show me the drawings? ”

Liu Wenhui said: "There are no complete drawings yet, but the students have a lot of reading notes, which can prove that the students are also engaged in research in this area." ”

"Can you show me your reading notes?"

"There are more than a dozen reading notes for students." Liu Wenhui's face was embarrassed, "I really can't take that much, or the student will tell you the basic design principles, is it okay?" ”

"Yes, too." Gao Junshan said to Gu Xingteng again, "You avoid it first." ”

After Tian Fang asked Gu Xingteng to take him to another room for tea, Liu Wenhui said to Gao Junshan: "The student is designed according to the binary principle taught to us by the mountain chief, this kind of machine can do addition and subtraction operations, I think, Gu Xingteng must do it according to this concept." ”

Gao Junshan criticized him and said: "You didn't even understand Gu Xingteng's design ideas, so you said that others were stealing your ideas, your statement is too far-fetched, and there is no reason for you to sue for this." ”

As soon as Tian Fang heard it, he asked Liu Wenhui: "Do you still sue for this case?" ”

Liu Wenhui's face turned red and said, "Don't tell me." ”

Gao Junshan said to Liu Wenhui: "You have the consciousness of protecting your scientific research results, which is very good, but if you accuse others of stealing your results, you should have real evidence, and you can't imagine it out of thin air, your behavior is suspected of false accusation, but I remember that you have no malicious intentions, and it is completely from the protection of your own achievements, so I will not punish you this time, but you must go back and reflect on yourself." ”

Liu Wenhui thanked him: "Thank you, mountain chief!" The student quit. ”

Gao Junshan said: "Your binary counter is meritorious, continue to study after you go back, I hope to see the results you have developed." ”

Liu Wenhui said: "Students must work hard, and there will definitely be results." ”

After Liu Wenhui left, Tian Fang called Gu Xingteng out.

Gao Junshan asked Gu Xingteng: "Can the computer machine you built be calculated for multiplication and division?" ”

"Returning to the mountain is long, it can only be counted as addition and subtraction, not multiplication and division."

Gao Junshan nodded and said: "It's already good to be able to calculate addition and subtraction, I am going to set up a patent office, this patent office is dedicated to protecting your intellectual property rights, and you can come to the patent office to apply for a patent at that time." ”

"Thank you, Chief!"

Tian Fang said: "You can go back." ”

Gu Xingteng said to Tian Fang again: "Thank you, Minister Tian!" ”

After Gu Xingteng left, Gao Junshan began to discuss with Tian Fang about the establishment of a patent office.

Later, Gao Junshan went to see the hand-cranked computer developed by Gu Xingteng, which is very similar to the computer invented by the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal.

In 1642, the French philosopher and mathematician Pascal invented the world's first addition and subtraction computer. It is a mechanical computer made of the principle of gear transmission, which is operated by hand. He said that "the work performed by this arithmetic machine is closer to the human mind than the behavior of animals". This idea had a significant impact on the development of computers in the future.

The hand-cranked computer invented by Gu Xingteng, although it was thirteen years later than Pascal's, but it was also invented by the same era, and later Gu Xingteng cooperated with Liu Wenhui, after just two years, he developed a binary hand-cranked calculator, which can not only add and subtract calculations, but also perform simple multiplication and division calculations, which has been far ahead of Pascal.

Of course, the two of them did not forget to go to the Huaxia Patent Office to apply for a patent for a hand-cranked computer.