Konrad Zuse's Z1, completed in 1938, marks a decisive milestone in the history of computer science. As the world's first programmable, binary, and mechanical computer, it laid the foundation for computer technology as we know it today. Unlike later electronic systems, the 
Z1 was based entirely on mechanical switching elements, but already 
consistently relied on binary floating-point arithmetic and Boolean algebra.

In this animation, created as part of her project group work, student Isabel Diener explains how to perform an addition on Konrad Zuse's mechanical computer Z1.