Computer History and Fundamentals
Who is the Father of Computer?
Answer: Charles Babbage (December 26, 1791 – October 18, 1871). The father of the modern computer is Alan Turing.
What are the Features of a Computer?
Answer: The features of a computer are:
- Speed
- Accuracy
- Diligence
- Storage Capacity
- Versatility
What is Abacus?
Answer: The abacus, also known as a counting frame, is a calculating device that was used in Mesopotamia around 3500 BC.
What is the Block Diagram of a Computer?
The block diagram represents how data and instructions flow between the CPU, memory, and I/O devices, managed by the Control Unit.
What is AI?
Artificial intelligence is a field which combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem-solving.
Napier’s Bones
Napier’s bones is a manually-operated calculating device created by John Napier of Merchiston, Scotland, for the calculation of products and quotients of numbers in the 17th century (1617).
Pascal’s Adding Machine
One of the first semi-automatic mechanical devices, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, developed it in 1642. It was based on gear wheels with the digits 0 through 9 displayed around the circumference of each wheel.
Leibnitz’s Calculator
Gottfried Leibnitz, a German mathematician, improved an adding machine and constructed a machine called Leibnitz’s calculator in 1671. The machine performed multiplication and division also. The machine performed multiplication through the repeated addition of numbers.
Computer Generations
- 1st Generation (1939-1954): Used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for storage.
- 2nd Generation (1955-1964): Used transistors.
- 3rd Generation (1965-1975): Used integrated circuits (ICs).
- 4th Generation (1976-Present): Uses microprocessors.
- 5th Generation (Present and Beyond): Based on the concept of AI.
Early Computers
- Atanasoff Berry Computer
- Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC)
- Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC)
- Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC)
- Universal Automatic Computer 1 (UNIVAC 1)
Jacquard Loom
The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom invented by Joseph Jacquard in 1801. He manufactured punched cards and used them to control the loom; the entire weaving process was automatic.
Babbage’s Difference Engine
A difference engine is an automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. It was designed in the 1820s and was first created by Charles Babbage.
Analytical Engine
In 1833, the Analytical Engine was to be a general-purpose, fully program-controlled, automatic mechanical digital computer. It would be able to perform any calculation set before it. There is no evidence that anyone before Babbage had ever conceived of such a device, let alone attempted to build one.
Hollerith Machine
In 1887, a Hollerith machine was a specific type of electromechanical design that served as an information-processing resource throughout the early 20th century. The machine used a system of electrical and mechanical signals and a set of wires positioned over pools of mercury to incrementally count data on paper punch cards.
Mark 1
In 1943, the Harvard Mark I computer, also known as the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC), was the first electromechanical computer capable of automated complex calculations. It weighed five tons, measured over 50 feet long, and was comprised of approximately 750,000 parts.
