tabulating machine
Definition
Noun: A tabulating machine is an electromechanical device used to process data by reading and summarizing information from punched cards. It was an early form of data processing equipment, primarily used for census and accounting tasks.
Usage Examples
- (A device that processes punched card data.)
- (A machine for summarizing business data.)
Advanced Usage
- "to run a tabulating machine": to operate or use the device for data processing.
- The clerk had to run the tabulating machine all day to compile the sales figures. (To operate the machine for summarizing data.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tabulate (verb): to arrange data in a table or summary form.
- The accountant had to tabulate the monthly expenses. (To organize data into a table.)
- Tabulation (noun): the act or process of arranging data in a table.
- The tabulation of the survey results took several hours. (The process of creating a table from data.)
Synonyms
- Punched card machine: a device that reads and processes data from punched cards.
- Data processing machine: a general term for equipment used to handle and summarize information.
Related Idioms
- "Crunch the numbers": to perform calculations or data analysis, often using a machine.
- The statistician used a tabulating machine to crunch the numbers for the report. (To process and analyze data systematically.)