What was ENIAC's first study focused on?

The choice of focusing on thermonuclear weapons for ENIAC's first study is significant due to the historical context in which ENIAC was developed. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, one of the earliest general-purpose computers, was initially commissioned during World War II. The U.S. military needed advanced computational capabilities to support the design and development of atomic bombs, particularly for calculations related to the Manhattan Project and the development of thermonuclear weapons. This focus on thermonuclear weaponry exemplified the practical and urgent applications of computing technology in national defense and scientific research during that era.

Other areas like mathematical modeling, data processing, and predictive analysis, while relevant to computing and its evolution, did not represent the initial mission of ENIAC. Instead, the design and function of ENIAC were closely aligned with the military's need for rapid and complex calculations required in the context of nuclear research and weaponry design. Thus, the connection between ENIAC's inception and the study of thermonuclear weapons underscores its foundational role at the intersection of computing and critical scientific inquiry in warfare.