Computers are everywhere, they are in homes, they are at schools, and most of people even carry them around on us everyday. But it was not always like this. As strange as this might sound, there was a time when a single computer would take up an entire room and still not be able to do a fraction of what an iphone can do. So how did people get from a computer taking up an entire room just to do basic things, from being able to do about anything on a small device in peoples pockets? Well, the most basic answer is advancement; the human race is moving forward everyday and what is in movies, about having holographs and robots, are a lot closer than many may think. This will be a guide through time itself as it will look at some of the first computers through the technology that people will soon have. But to be able to understand what is to come must first understand the beginning. The beginning of computers are one thing that is hard to depict because of the multiple definitions of a computer. Before 1935, a “computer” referred to a person who performed arithmetic calculations, so “computers” have been around for ages, to be technical. For the purposes of this paper it will be referring to the modern definition of a computer. The modern definition of a computer according to Merriam Webster is “an electronic machine that can store and work with large amounts of information”, But even with the modern definition there are still many different places there is to start because it depends on what is consider to be the “first” computer (Merriam Webster). Lets begin with Charles Babbage, In 1822 Charles Babbage creates what is said to be the “first computer” with basic architecture that is similar to a modern computer (Dadian). The compu... ... middle of paper ... ...ey were first invented. From the Babbage Engine to the self driving car humans have made greater advancement than anyone would of ever guessed. But do not just think that people are going to stop because everyday people are moving forward and creating new things. Works Cited "Computer." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. Dadian, Dina. "Babbage Designs a Mechanical Computer." Power Solution. 8 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. Falcon, Alvaris. "10 Upcoming Technology That May Change The World." Hongkiat. Maxcdn. Web. 03 May 2014. Guizzo, Erico. "How Google's Self-Driving Car Works." IEEE Spectrum. IEEE, 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 04 May 2014. Lau, Edward, and Ganna Boyko. "Timeline of Computer History." Computer History Museum. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Zimmermann, Kim Ann. "Computer History." LiveScience. TechMediaNetwork, 04 June 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
In 1939 the very first computer was created by Professor John Vincent Atanasoff and Cliff Berry. It was not the type of computer we are used to though, that type of computer didn’t make an appearance until 1982(Timeline of computer history, 2001). After the first computer was created communication took off like a rocket.
Konrad Zuse was born June 22, 1910 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf Germany. In 1927, he studied civil engineering at Technische Hochschule of Berlin and became interested in building a mechanical device for calculations. While studying construction he realized how time consuming solving linear equations was and wanted to build a computer that would solve the problems for him ("First Relay Computer," n.d.). After graduation, Zuse worked for the Henschel Aircraft Company, as a structural engineer, working daily with calculations (O’Connor & Robertson, 1999). Zuse’s concept was to build a computer that was intended for tiresome engineering calculations. He would later become known as the “father of the computer” (Rojas, 2000, p. 64). In 1934, Zuse quit his job and started working alone to build his first mechanical device in his parent’s living room and named it the Z1. The Z1 was slow and unreliable and the size of ...
The subject of this term paper will be about computers in the 1950’s. The divisions that will be covered are; the types of computers there were, the memory capacity of computers, the programming languages of that time, and the uses of the computers for that time. Information will be gathered from the Internet, from books, and from magazines, and from the encyclopedia.
There are many different beginnings to the origins of computers. Their origins could be dated back more than two thousand years ago, depending on what a person means when they ask where the first computer came from. Most primitive computers were created for the purpose of running simple programs at best. (Daves Old Computers) However, the first ‘digital’ computer was created for the purposes of binary arithmetic, otherwise known as simple math. It was also created for regenerative memory, parallel processing, and separation of memory and computing functions. Built by John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry during 1937-1942, it was dubbed the Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC).
Watson, J. (2008). A history of computer operating systems (pp. 14-17). Ann Arbor, MI: Nimble Books.
Charles Babbage is an English mathematician, mechanical engineer, inventor, writer, and philosopher. He was considered as the Father of the Computer because of his invention and concept of the first mechanical computer, the Difference Engine and the first general-purpose programmable computing machine the Analytical Engine. The Analytical Engine’s features resemble the principles found in the modern digital computer we are using today.
The original computer was nothing like it is known now. It was a simple device known as an abacus, a mathematic tool that may have been invented in the fourth century BC by the Babylonians (PBS). Before a new computer could be created, a few things had to happen.
Computer engineering started about 5,000 years ago in China when they invented the abacus. The abacus is a manual calculator in which you move beads back and forth on rods to add or subtract. Other inventors of simple computers include Blaise Pascal who came up with the arithmetic machine for his father’s work. Also Charles Babbage produced the Analytical Engine, which combined math calculations from one problem and applied it to solve other complex problems. The Analytical Engine is similar to today’s computers.
Today we have touch screen phones with personal assistance to help you with your every google search, managing your calendar and setting your alarms for work in the morning. We have robots that can run, jump, climb and stay balanced humans while throwing different objects its way to take it off its feet. Last week or so scientist Elon Musk even introduced most sophisticated big rig that runs on electricity and gets up to 400 miles after only 30 minutes of charging. Safe to say technology has leaped forward in unbelievable ways. We might not be Doc and Marty McFly from back to the future but we have made incredible progress.
It all started with the creation of The Abacus which is calculating device is invented 5 millennium in Asia and which is still being used until today, it’s known as the first computer. This device allows users to make calculations using sliding beads arranged in a rack form. Only after about 1200 years, next adv...
The history of the computer dates back all the way to the prehistoric times. The first step towards the development of the computer, the abacus, was developed in Babylonia in 500 B.C. and functioned as a simple counting tool. It was not until thousands of years later that the first calculator was produced. In 1623, the first mechanical calculator was invented by Wilhelm Schikard, the “Calculating Clock,” as it was often referred to as, “performed it’s operations by wheels, which worked similar to a car’s odometer” (Evolution, 1). Still, there had not yet been anything invented that could even be characterized as a computer. Finally, in 1625 the slide rule was created becoming “the first analog computer of the modern ages” (Evolution, 1). One of the biggest breakthroughs came from by Blaise Pascal in 1642, who invented a mechanical calculator whose main function was adding and subtracting numbers. Years later, Gottfried Leibnez improved Pascal’s model by allowing it to also perform such operations as multiplying, dividing, taking the square root.
Now we look at Charles Babbage, who many say is the father of computers. Charles Babbage was a professor of mathematics. In the 1800's Babbage designed an automatic calculation machine. This machine was steam powered and could store up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Charles Babbage was so ahead of his time, that the machines that were used back then were not even precise enough to make the parts for his computer. Gulliver, states:
Before the Altair- The History of Personal Computing – The development and history of personal computing.
The fist computer, known as the abacus, was made of wood and parallel wires on which beads were strung. Arithmetic operations were performed when the beads were moved along the wire according to “programming” rules that had to be memorized by the user (Soma, 14). The second earliest computer, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1694, was a “digital calculating machine.” Pascal designed this first known digital computer to help his father, who was a tax collector. Pascal’s computer could only add numbers, and they had to be entered by turning dials (Soma, 32). It required a manual process like its ancestor, the abacus. Automation was introduced in the early 1800’s by a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage. He created an automatic calculation machine that was steam powered and stored up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Unlike its two earliest ancestors, Babbage’s invention was able to perform various operations. It relied on cards with holes punched in them, which are called “punch cards.” These cards carried out the programming and storing operations for the machine. Unluckily, Babbage’s creation flopped due to the lack of mechanical precision and the lack of demand for the product (Soma, 46). The machine could not operate efficiently because technology was t adequate to make the machine operate efficiently Computer interest dwindled for many years, and it wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that people became interested in them once again.
Charles Babbage was a mathematician, theorist, creator, and mechanical engineer, who is best recalled for originating the concept of a programmable computer. Considered a, “father of the computer”, for his labor in evolving a difference machine and drafting ideas for an analytic machine that would pave the way for more intricate models that would come to be acknowledged as the modern computer. Babbage invented the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more intricate designs. His diverse work in additional fields has led him to be labeled as “pre-eminent” among the many polymaths of his time.