Physics in the History of Computing: A Case Study from NSF

The histories of computation and of physics since the 1930s have had an
essential co-dependency with each other. Without the most powerful computers and
optical networks, many of the most important investigations in physics would be
impossible. At the same time, the advancement of computer science and its applications
that pervade modern life would also be impossible without the advancements in
physics. A recent book, Peter A. Freeman, W. Richards Adrion, and William
Aspray, Computing and the National Science Foundation, 1950-2016: Building a
Foundation for Modern Computing (ACM Books, 2019, 407 pp.) yields some interesting
examples of this co-dependency and areas for further historical research.