Data Processing by Machine – Asset at the Mine Site

About 50,000 assays of mine samples were required in a preliminary investigation of the distribution of gold, silver, lead, copper, and zinc in two large Mexican mines, the Frisco mine at San Francisco del Oro (Chihuahua) and the Fresnillo mine at Fresnillo (Zacatecas). The feasibility of working with so many assays rests directly on the use of machine processing methods. The purpose of this article is to describe the methods used because machine (or data) processing can also be used efficiently to make the many calculations from mine assays needed in mining operations. No particular originality is claimed for these methods, which are straightforward applications of standard procedures for machine processing. Inasmuch as machine processing is essentially a routine job once it is begun, procedures must be organized more completely than is the case where human judgment can be inserted at every step. Before undertaking any work, it is necessary to decide carefully just which data must be processed as well as the exact results desired.