The Impact of Computers On Our Lives
Only once in a lifetime will a new invention come about to touch every aspect of our lives. Such a device that changes the way we work, live, and play is a special one, indeed. A machine that has done all this and more now exists in nearly every business in the US and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). This incredible invention is the
computer. The electronic computer has been around for over a half-century, but its ancestors have been around for 2000 years. However, only in the last 40 years has it changed the American society. From the first wooden abacus to the latest high-speed microprocessor, the computer has changed nearly every aspect of people’s lives for the
better.
The very earliest existence of the modern day computer’s ancestor is the abacus. These date back to almost 2000 years ago. It is simply a wooden rack holding parallel wires on which beads are strung. When these beads are moved along the wire according to
"programming" rules that the user must memorize, all ordinary arithmetic operations can be performed (Soma, 14). The next innovation in computers took place in 1694 when Blaise Pascal invented the first “digital calculating machine”. It could only add numbers and they had to be entered by turning dials. It was designed to help Pascal’s father who
was a tax collector (Soma, 32).
In the early 1800’s, a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage designed an automatic calculation machine. It was steam powered and could store up to 1000 50-digit numbers.
Built in to his machine were operations that included everything a modern general-purpose computer would need. It was programmed by--and stored data on--cards with holes
punched in them, appropriately called “punchcards”. His inventions were failures for the most part because of the lack of precision machining techniques used at the time and the lack of demand for such a device (Soma, 46).
After Babbage, people began to lose interest in computers.
However, between 1850 and 1900 there were great advances in mathematics and physics that began to rekindle the interest (Osborne, 45). Many of these new advances involved complex calculations and formulas that were very time consuming for human calculation.
The first major use for a computer in the US was during the 1890 census. Two men, Herman Hollerith and James Powers, developed a new punched-card system that could automatically read information on cards without human intervention (Gulliver, 82).
When looking at Jay Gatsby, one sees many different personalities and ideals. There is the gracious host, the ruthless bootlegger, the hopeless romantic, and beneath it all, there is James Gatz of North Dakota. The many faces of Gatsby make a reader question whether they truly know Gatsby as a person. Many people question what exactly made Jay Gatsby so “great.” These different personas, when viewed separately, are quite unremarkable in their own ways. When you take them together, however, you discover the complicated and unique individual that is Jay Gatsby.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an absurd story, whether considered as romance, melodrama, or plain record of New York high life. The occasional insights into character stand out as very green oases on an arid desert of waste paper. Throughout the first half of the book the author shadows his leading character in mystery, but when in the latter part he unfolds his life story it is difficult to find the brains, the cleverness, and the glamour that one might expect of a main character.
Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is perhaps one of the most well known speeches in literature. It has been interpreted by countless actors who attempt to embody the emotions that Hamlet was trying to convey. The speech is extremely emotional and thought provoking and it is imperative to correctly portray Hamlet as he contemplates one of the biggest questions in the entire play: to die or not to die? Although many actors have played the role of Hamlet, there are a few who stood out to me. Mel Gibson, Derek Jacobi, and David Tennant. Through the use of undeniable emotion and passion, Mel Gibson and Derek Jacobi did a wonderful job at portraying Hamlet, while David Tennant’s performance left me extremely unsatisfied.
The first mechanical calculator was built in 1623 by Wilhelm Schickard. It worked with six digits and carried these digits across columns. Though it worked, it never made it past the prototype stage. Another mechanical calculator, this time one with eight digits, was built by Blaise Pascal in 1642. This calculator was, however, prone to error and jamming (PBS).
What if the world can be free of all genetic diseases? What if a mother did not have to go through the pain of saying goodbye to her family because she is going to die from cancer? What if a daughter could avoid getting bullied because she had Autism? What if a friend did not have to go through the heartache of wanting a child but knowing she could not without passing on a genetic disease? What if the struggles could end? Would it not be a better life? One must think it sounds like a dream that cannot be reached. However, that dream can be a reality right now. The solution is in the human genes. Modifying the human genome can create a future full of humans that are genetically disease free, in other words, creating designer babies. Performing such an operation is a good thing and should be made officially legal everywhere in the United States.
“It’s do or die time,” said by perhaps someone yearning for the win of a lifetime. Competition will occur throughout every ones lives. By dictionary definition, competition is “to strive to outdo another for acknowledgment, a prize, supremacy, profit, etc.” (dictionary.com). In which case each and every one of us has attempted, to either win that gold medal in race, become number one in our league, or just be noticed by getting the only A in the class on an assignment. Competition does have a bad reputation and flipping through the thesaurus for similar words you may find, “battle” or “killer” or maybe perhaps “cutthroat” (dictionary.com). Which is as negative and unappealing as it can get. In what instance did wanting to win or prosper so indefinitely become something as grueling as that? When did wanting to be successful turn into a bad thing? Our culture has embraced this “win-at-all-costs” attitude that children and adults are under so much anxiety to win or succeed, that the fun and excitement has vanished from sports for so many. Increasing the amount of cheatings, overblown egos, terrible sportsmanship, and individual outbreaks (nfhs.org). Competition is in fact the truth, maybe not so fair to all concerned, could build better friendships, and also is probably not so beneficial to all concerned.
In only 45 years, computers have premiered every aspect of people’s life. Computers serving as a multifunctional machine changes the way people live. People use it for pleasure, for study, for work. Surprisingly, digital computers were invented mainly for arithmetic only first. People who invented the first “computer” would never imagine how this could change the world. The magical combination of 0 and 1 has leaded the world into a new era. This paper focuses on the relationship between math and digital computers; how mathematics triggers the invention of digital computers and how digital computers change the way of math development.
Technology is constantly evolving. Computers, tablets, and cell phones have changed drastically over the past several years. For many years, computers were not available for personal use. Computing machines did not emerge until the 1940’s and 1950’s. Questions about the ownership of the first programmable computer are still disputed today. It appears as if each country wants to take credit for this accomplishment. Computer enthusiasts believe that Great Britain’s Colossus Mark 1 computer in 1944 was the first programmable computer and others give credit to the United States’ ENIAC computer in 1946. However, in 1941, a relatively unknown German engineer built a programmable binary computer. His name was Howard Zuse and his Z3 computer has been acknowledged as the first electromechanical binary programmable computer.
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.
I roll around on my bed, tossing and turning. The blare from my alarm clock deafens my right ear, and I quickly throw an arm over to it and slam on the snooze button. It is 6 o'clock in the morning, and already technology has affected my life. I fall to my feet and walk towards the showers. Another form of technology is about to take over my life. Well, at least for the next ten to 20 minutes.
The idea of what is now modern computing originates (more or less) in the late 1700’s with the birth of computing’s conceptual father, Charles Babbage. He was born in London on December 26, 1791, the day after Christmas. He excelled in the area of mathematics (algebra for the most part), acting as his own instructor. He found himself to have been far in intellectual advance of his peers and “mentors”. Upon attending Trinity College, Cambridge in 1811, he still remained at incredible superiority to his tutors. After founding several societies (i.e. Analytical Society, Astronomical Society or Royal Astronomical Society), he became interested in mathematical calculation machines. This ultimately became his life interest. He pursued the invention of a machine that could compile mathematical tables. This gave way to the design of the “Difference Engine”. It performed somewhat complex mathematical tasks using gears and belts, not quite the hardware integrated in todays machines. He eventually conceived the design of an “Analytical Engine” that would be able to make virtually any calculation (at least those considered in the time period) given the proper commands and instructions.
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.
Computer technology not only has solved problems but also has created some, including a certain amount of culture shock as individuals attempt to deal with the new technology. A major role of computer science has been to alleviate such problems, mainly by making computer systems cheaper, faster, more reliable, easier to use.
Computer technology has had a great effect on society as a whole throughout history. It has modified our behavior greatly as we have become accustomed to the technological advancements of yesterday. We are so dependent sometimes we do not even have a concept of what life would be like without computers. When we are forced to live life without computers we are left hopeless and disillusioned and simple everyday tasks become major chores. Computers of the past were very primitive compared to the computers of today but extremely useful. One of the very first computers of major importance was the abacus that was developed by Chinese and later made more portable by the Greeks The Abacus was used for more than 2000 years and made life easier for many. It was used as a calculator, as today, to simplify computations of small or large figures. This gave many people increased free time while maintaining the current economic status within their society. Another important device of this time was the astrolabe. The astrolabe was used for the navigation of ships and allowed sailors to draw maps based on astrological calculation. This helped many sailors and explorers find many new and uncharted lands, which eventually led to the European colonization of North America. During the 1600's there was a surge of inventors conjuring up many new ideas. In 1642, Blaise Pascal was accredited for inventing the first digital calculating machine which could only add. This invention was not for himself, but for his father, who worked hard as a tax collector. The first digital calculator started a whole new line of calculating devices that could not only add but divide, multiply, and subtract. This task was not accomplished until 1820 by Charles Xavier Thomas. The introduction of punch cards, in the late 1800's, automated data entry resulting in many jobs lost that would have been available to the average worker. Punch cards were first used in the 1890 census. This not only reduced the amount of workers but also the amount of human error that could have occurred in previous census. The use of punch cards did not end there. Punch cards were greatly improved by IBM, that successfully provided mechanical automation of data entry. This was done by using spinning wheels to process 50 to 250 cards per a minute. This again sadly eliminated many jobs but continued the development of the computing industry.
life, I will take aspects of the ICT that I use and I will explain why