Grade 8 History of Computers

 

History of Computers

 

Introduction- The history of computer implies to the gradual change over a long period of time upon the concept of counting, calculating or computing and the development and evolution of calculating tools and devices.

 

Beginning- During the fifth century Hindu philosophers were able to develop a new method of counting using numbers (digits) 0 to 9.

 

Abacus : In early days , people used pebbles or beads on a counting board to carry out simple calculations. This tool is called the Abacus, its exact origin is unknown. It may have originated in China, Egypt or Greece during 5000 B.C. to 2000 B.C.

An Abacus can be used to add, subtract, multiply and divide.

 

Napier’s Bone- Napier’s Bone was developed by a Scottish mathematician John Napier in 1614.

 

Points about Napier’s Bone:

·         It was made up of bones on which numbers were painted

·         It was used for multiplication, division and for extracting roots.

 

Slide Rule- Slide Rule was developed by William Oughtred of UK in 1620.

 

Points about Slide Rule:

·         Slide Rule used the principle of logarithms and it was an analog device.

·         It used two graduated scales to find the product, quotient or any other function by viewing on the scales.

 

Pascal’s Adding  Machine ( Pascaline )- Pascaline was developed by a French scientist Blaise Pascal in 1642.

 

Points about Pascaline:

·         Pascaline was a mechanical calculator which consisted of ten toothed wheels.

·         The addition or subtraction was performed by turning these wheels.

 

Jacquard’s Loom: jacquard’s Loom was developed by Joseph Marie Jacquard of France in 1801. The loom was used for the weaving of intricate patterns. He also invented punched card as an accessory to the loom.

 

Important inventions of Charles Babbage.

 

Charles Babbage an English mathematician developed:

1.      Differential Engine in 1822 A.D.

2.      Analytical Engine in 1833 A.D.

Important points of Analytical Engine:

 

The major units of Babbage’s Analytical Engine were store, mill, input and output units.

Functions of store and mill

·         Store- A memory or store which could store data and intermediate results.

·         Mill- An arithmetic unit which was called a “mill”. It could perform calculations.

 

Lady Augusta Ada Lovelace- In 1848 a British mathematician lady Augusta wrote a first program to run on analytical engine made by professor Charles Babbage. Hence she is called the first programmer.

 

Contribution of George Boole- George Boole a British mathematician introduced mathematics of logic known as Boolean logic. It laid the foundation of digital computers. Boolean considered two valued notation i.e. 0 and 1 to represent any form of data.

 

Contribution of Dr. Herman Hollerith- Dr. Herman Hollerith of Germany had designed a first punched card tabulating machine in 1889. The first card machine which was electrically activated was used by Dr. Herman Hollerith to complete the statistics of 1890 A.D. United States population census.

In 1896 he founded the Tabulating Machine Company , later in 1924 this firm merged with other companies to form International  Business  Machines Corporation (IBM).

 

Electromechanical Computer- The first electromechanical computer Mark I was developed by Howard Aiken in 1944.

Important points of Mark I

·         Mark I was also known as the automatic sequence controlled calculator

·         It was 51 ft. long and 8ft. high

·         It used electronic tubes and electrical relays.

 

First Electronic Computer- The first electronic digital computer was developed in 1942 by John V. Atanasoff and his student Clifford Berry. It was called the Atanasoff- Berry computer (ABC computer)

 

ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and calculator)- In 1944 in the true sense, the first electronic computer was developed by John W. Mauchly and John Presper Eckert. It was developed at the university of Pennsylvania and called ENIAC.

Features of ENIAC

·         ENIAC used high speed vacuum tubes (switching devices)

·         The high speed operation of the computer in the world was first experienced with ENIAC.

·         It could add two numbers in 200 microseconds and multiply two numbers in2800 microseconds.

 

EDSAC ( Electronic Delay Storage Automated Computer )- In 1945 a Hungarian mathematician John Von Neumann developed the idea of stored program concept.

Neumann along with professorMaurie Wilkes developed EDSAC in 1949. EDSAC was called the first stored programed electronic computer. EDSAC used binary number system.

 

UNIVAC ( Universal Automatic Computer )- UNIVAC was developed by John Mauchly and John Presper Eckert in 1951. It was the first commercially used electronic computer in the world.

 

Microprocessor- The first microprocessor Intel 4004 was developed by Intel corporation engineer Marcian Ted Hoff in 1970.

 

Minicomputer – The first mini computer was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1972.

 

Microcomputer- the first microcomputer called ALTAIR 8800 was manufactures in 1974. It used 8-bit Intel processor. The Apple personal computer and IBM PC was first introduced in 1976 and 1981 respectively.

History of Computers in Nepal- Computer was introduced by his majesty’s government for the population census of 1972 (2028 B.S.). This was the second generation computer of IBM company called IBM 1401.

YantrikSarinikaran Kendra ( electronic data processing center) was established in 1974 which after six years was converted to National computer Centre (NCC).

 

 

 

GENERATION OF COMPUTERS

 

Introduction- The generation of computer implies to the gradual process of development in the field of computing technology, comprising hardware as well as software.

 

Basis for the classification of computer generation:

Depending on the device, technology, system architecture, processing mode and languages used , the computers are categorized into the following five generations:

i)                    First Generation (1943-1958)

ii)                  Second Generation (1959-1965)

iii)                Third Generation (1966-1973)

iv)                Fourth Generation (1974-1990)

v)                  Fifth generation (1991- present)

 

Generation	Duration	Technology	Example
FIRST	1943-1958	VACUUM TUBE	ENIAC
SECOND	1959-1965	TRANSISTOR	IBM 1401
THIRD	1966-1973	IC	IBM360
FOURTH	1974-1990	VLSI	IBM PC
FIFTH	1991-PRESENT	BIO CHIPS	SUPERCOMPUTER

 

 

Features / drawbacks of first generation computers:

a)      Vacuum tubes were used for were used for electronic circuits and magnetic drums were used for primary storage medium and mercury delay lines for memory.

b)      Storage capacity was limited.

c)      Slow operating speed

d)      Restricted computing capacity, manly used in scientific calculations and record keeping.

 

Example: ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC-1 etc.

Features of second generation computer:

a)      Transistors were used instead of vacuum tubes.

b)      Magnetic core memories were used for internal storage

c)      Magnetic disks and magnetic tapes were used for auxiliary memory.

d)      High level language could be used with this generation computers.

e)      High speed, reduced size and more reliable computers.

 

Example: NCR315, IBM1401 etc.

 

Features of third generation computer:

a)      Integrated circuits (IC’s ) were used in place of transistors.

b)      Semiconductor memory was used instead of magnetic core memory.

c)      Minicomputers were introduced during this time.

d)      Increased operating speed.

e)      High level languages were used.

f)       Computers were smaller in size and better in performance and reliability.

 

Example: IBM 360 and IBM 370 series, PDP-8 etc.

 

Features of fourth generation computer:

a)      This generation of computers used Large Scale Integration (LSI) and Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI).

b)      Increased storage capacity with high processing speed.

c)      This generation computers were very user friendly with versatile input output devices.

d)      Comparatively smaller in size with greater reliability.

 

Example IBM-PC,  Apple Macintosh etc.

 

Features of fifth generation computer:

a)      Bio chip will be used as the main technology.

b)      Use of super conductor technology

c)      Use of parallel processing replacing a single CPU system

d)      Use of knowledge based problem solving techniques using AI

e)      Use of natural language to operate computer and to process relational database

 

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)- It is an integrated system of hardware and software which makes a computer capable of providing as many alternative solution to a given problem. (using expert system, natural language processing, speech and pattern recognition etc.)

 

 

 

 

 

CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS

The classification of computers varies with the achievement of technology. Computers are classified according to the working principle, purpose and size.

 

 

On the basis of working principle (activity) computers are classified as:

a)      Analog Computer

b)      Digital Computer

c)      Hybrid Computer

 

Analog Computer- The computers which can process analog quantities ( continuous data) is called an analog computer. They are designed to measure physical forces such as temprature,  pressure, speed etc. and record them as readings along continuous scale.

Examples of analog devices:

Thermometer- Which is used to measure the temperature.

Speedometer- Which is used in cars to measure the speed.

 

Digital Computer- The computers which accepts discrete data ( discontinuous data ) is known as digital computer. Digital computer counts digits which represent numbers or letters. They are the most widely used type of computers. They are used in business, education, and engineering and in other fields.

 

Hybrid Computer- The data processing device which uses both analog and discrete data representation is known as hybrid computer.

Hybrid computer can perform the tasks of both analog and digital character. They can transfer data from analog to digital and vice versa. They are used in scientific research, industrial application, aeroplanes etc.

Example of hybrid computer:

Computers used in jet plane to provide information for safe flight

 

On the basis of size (volume) computers are classified as:

 

On the basis of volume computers are classified as:

a)      Supercomputer

b)      Mainframe computer

c)      Mini computer

d)      Micro computer

e)      Laptop

f)       Palmtop

 

Supercomputer- Supercomputers are the most powerful and fastest of all computer systems. Supercomputers are used in weather forecasting, rocket launching, seismology, nuclear physics, weapon research and so on. The cost of supercomputer is very high.

Examples of supercomputers- CRAY1, CRAY X-MP, SX-2, HITAC S-300

 

Mainframe computer- A mainframe is the large, fast and one of the expensive computer systems of general use. They have very large storage capacity and have a high processing speed. They support large number of terminals, so more than hundred users can work at the same time with one mainframe.

Examples of mainframes- IBM 1401, ICL 2950/10

 

Minicomputer- Minicomputers resemble mainframe computers but they are comparatively small and less expensive. Minicomputers are less powerful then mainframes but are more powerful than microcomputers.

The first minicomputer was introduced in 1965 by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).

Examples of minicomputers- IBM, HP etc.

 

Microcomputer- A computer which is based on microprocessor is called a microcomputer. It is the small low cost digital computer. The microcomputer has a microprocessor on a single chip which is its central processing unit (CPU). It also has other units like input, output and memory.

 

Laptop- The smallest personal computer which can fit in a small handbag are called laptop computer.

 

Palmtop- It is the smallest size computer which can fit within a palm. Examples are smart mobile phones, tablets etc.

 

On the basis of brand typically computers are categorized into IBM-PC, IBM-COMPATIBLES and APPLE MACINTOSH, but with rapid changes and development in the field of technology categorization on the basis of brand and model is fast losing its relevance.