Computer Science

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Computer Science

Computer science dates back to about 1960, although the electronic digital computer that was the object of its study was invented only two decades earlier. The field of science has grown extensively due to the development of the computer. Computers have moved into every nook and cranny of our daily lives. People use them in education, retailing, law enforcement, transportation, agriculture, homes, medicine, and an endless number of other areas. Scientists have to develop new programs and methods of repair for these computers (Development).

Charles Babbage developed the theory for the first computer in 1830. He called it an analytical engine. He designed it to perform many kinds of calculations. However, he never built it before he died. Another developer of the computer was Herman Hollerith. He designed a machine to calculate the 1890 census. Finally, in the late 1930s, the first digital computer that worked electronically was developed and called the ABC, or the Atanasoff-Berry Computer. Dr. John Mauchly used the principles of the Atanasoff-Berry computer to develop the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). This was the first general-purpose computer. The ENIAC was the forerunner of the UNIVAC I computer, or the first computer sold on a commercial basis (Sample).

Since Babbage built the first computer, there was a need for a computer programmer for the computer to run. The first programmer was Augusta Byron. She programmed Charles Babbage’s analytical engine. Since then programming has come a long way. The industry has developed five different languages. One of the first languages to be developed was FORTRAN, an acronym for FORmula TRANslation. In 1957, scientists developed FORTRAN ...

... middle of paper ...

...thing from cars, copying machines, and televisions to bread-making machines, telephones, and stereos (Capron).

Scientists are always trying to build a faster and more reliable computer. They are also expanding the uses of the computer to include many things such as the Internet. The challenge to find a better method of computing is always happening. Maybe one day the computer will be able to take care of itself.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

Bronson, Gary J., and Stephen Menconi. A First Book of ANSI C. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: West,

1996.

Capron, H.L. Computers Tools for the Information Age 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 2000.

“Development of Computer Science” Britannica Encyclopedia. Online. America Online. .

Sample, James O. “Computer: History and Development.” Jones Telecommunications and Multimedia Encyclopedia. Ed. Glenn R. Jones. 1999. .

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