Computer Education and history of Computer

CHAPTER # 1

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

Q 1: Write a note on history of the computer.

The History of computer

“Necessity is the mother of invention”

The above saying is also true for computer because man was in search of fast and accurate calculating devices and for this he invented the computer. Anyhow today’s computer took many years to become such a wonderful machine. A brief history of the computer is as follow:

Abacus:
Abacus is the name of a calculating machine, which was invented by Chinese about 600 B.C. Abacus is also known as “soroban.” Chinese used this machine for simple calculations like addition and subtraction. This device permits the users to represent numbers by the position of bullets on a stand.

John Napier bone:
Another manual calculating device was John Napier’s bone or cardboard multiplication calculator. It was designed in the early 17th century and its upgraded version was in use even around 1890.

Blaise Pascal:
The first mechanical adding machine was invented by Blaise pascal in 1642. Later, in the year 1671, VonLeibnitz of Germany invented the first calculator for multiplication.

Punched Card:
In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard, a French engineer, developed punched card system for the power-looms. This system helped in creating specific weaving patterns on cloths automatically. This system was later on used with computing devices.

Charles Babbage:
Charles Babbage is called the father of the computer due to his work for it. He was a professor at Cambridge University. He introduced Difference Engine in the year 1822. In 1842 Charles produced an idea of Analytical Engine. The analytical engine could perform all the mathematical problems.

The Mark I computer (1937-44):
Mark I was the first fully automatic calculating machine, which was designed by Howard H. Aiken. Instructions were given to this machine with the help of punched paper tape. Mark-I is considered to be one of the first true computers because it could store information and instructions.



The ENIAC (1943-46):
ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator. It was the first electronic computer and was constructed by J.P Eckert and John Mauchly in 1946.

The EDVAC (1946-52):
EDVAC stands for Electronic discrete Variable Automatic Calculator. Dr. John Von Neumann developed this computer. This was the first computer to which we can give instructions and can also store data in it.

The UNIVAC (1951):
The Universal Automatic computer (UNIVAC) was the first digital computer. This computer was used in business and industries.

Commercial computers:
In 1952, the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation introduced the 701 commercial computer.

Q 2: What is a computer? Write the uses and the characteristics of a computer.

Computer:
“Computer is an electronic device. It obeys instructions of the user. A Computer gets input of data and it provides us output of data in a meaningful form after processing. We can also store data or information in a computer and can also retrieve also get stored data from the computer. A computer also performs arithmetic operations like addition, multiplication and division.”

The word computer comes from a Latin word “Compute”. It means to calculate something. Basically computer is used to perform calculations but the calculation is not only one use of computer, we can use it for different purposes.

Uses of a computer:
Some common purposes of a computer are:

• A computer is used to perform arithmetic calculations
• A computer can solve complex scientific and arithmetic problems very easily and speedily.
• We can store data in a computer and can get stored data when we need.
• We can play games on a computer.
• We can watch movies on a computer.
• We can listen music on a computer.
• We can send messages to our friends, relatives and family members anywhere in the world by connecting our computer with Internet.
• Computers are used to make good defence of the country.
• Computers are helpful in offices, sciences, engineering and technology.
• Computers are very helpful in education; students can prepare their projects easily with the help of computer. Interest of study has been developed in people due to the computer.
• Medical science and Biotechnology are use computers to diagnose the diseases of people.
Above are some common benefits of computers, there are many more benefits which we get from computers.
Characteristics of computers

Following are the different characteristics of a computer.

Speed:
A computer is a very fast device. It can perform in a few seconds the amount of work that a human being can do in an entire year.

Accuracy:
The accuracy of a computer is always high and the degree of accuracy of a particular computer depends upon its design. But for a particular computer, each and every calculation is performed with the same accuracy.

Carefulness:
Unlike human beings, a computer is free from tiredness and lack of concentration, etc.

Usefulness:
Usefulness is one of the most wonderful things about the computer. One moment, it is preparing the results of particular examination, the next moment it is busy in preparing electricity bills, and in between, it may be helping an office secretary to trace an important letter in seconds.

Power of remembering:
As a human being acquires new knowledge, the brain subconsciously selects what it feels to be important and worth retaining in its memory and relegates unimportant details to the back of the mind or just forgets them. With computers, this is not the case. A computer can store and recall any amount of information because of its secondary storage capability.

No feelings:
Computers are free from emotions. They have no feelings and no sixth sense because they are machines. Although men have succeeded in building a memory for the computer, but no computer possesses the equivalent of a human heart and soul.