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The history of computers
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The history of computers
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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.
3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. 3D printing was invented in the mid 1980s and was initially known as additive manufacturing. It consists of the fabrication of products through the use of printers which either employ lasers to burn materials (sintering) or place layer upon layer of material (known as stereolithography), eventually resulting in a finished item. Unlike the traditional manufacturing process, which involves milling, drilling, grinding or forging molded items to make the final product, 3D printing “forms” the product layer by layer. There are many different technological variants but almost every existing, 3D printing machine functions in a similar way: a 3D computer-aided engineering (CAD) file is sliced into a series of 2D planar sections and these are deposited by the printer, one above the other, to construct the part.
...m simple tasks. Then Massachusetts Institute of Technology students, led by Vannevar Bush, fabricated the first analog computer, which could perform more complicated tasks than the previous computer. The analog computer was improved upon even further by Howard Aiken, who created the first computer with memory (Brinkley 643).
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.
Early life and stereolithography: Chuck Hull Was born on May 12 1939. In 1983 Chuck invented stereolithography and subsequently And in 1989 founded 3D systems. Stereolithography was developed when there was no such thing as rapid prototyping/creating a concept model If you were lucky you could make a working prototype even though It took months and thousands of dollars. And while engineers were Using A computer to help them design and manufacture prototypes. There was no method for that software to communicate. SLA 1 is what became the very first Rapid Prototyping System, . So Chuck and 3D Systems also created the .stl (Stereolithography) file format. Still in use today to complete the electronic 'handshake' To transmit files for the printing of 3D objects.
In 2010, Google broadcasted that they created an archetype of a car that can drive itself; its purpose, to avert collisions, allow citizens more time, and cut down on harmful pollutants that vehicles produce (Poczter & Jankovic, 2014). The heart of the self-driving automobile is lasers that are mounted on the roof of a modified Toyota Prius that produces a precise three-dimensional atlas of the area surrounding the car. Furthermore, the automobile is outfitted with four radars, and another laser around the vehicle that allows it to precisely create a 3-D map of its surroundings (Poczter & Jankovic, 2014). The vehicle calculates the laser dimensions with high-resolution maps of the globe, which allows it to drive itself without human intervention, while evading obstacles and obeying traffic laws (How Google’s self-Driving Car Works, 2011).
...) - “John W. Mauchly and the Development of the ENIAC Computer.” Penn Library Exhibitions. http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/rbm/maucly/jwm6.html
Schlager, Neil, and Josh Lauer. "The History, Development, and Importance of Personal Computers." Science and Its Times 7 (2001): n. pag. Print.
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).
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.
Watson, J. (2008). A history of computer operating systems (pp. 14-17). Ann Arbor, MI: Nimble Books.
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.
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.
In 1937 the electronic computer was born. Computers were in 1943 to break “the unbreakable” German Enigma codes. 1951 introduced the computer commercially. However, it wasn’t until around 1976 when the Apple II was introduced and it was immediately adopted by high schools, colleges, and homes. This was the first time that people from all over really had an opportunity to use a computer. Since that time micro processing chips have been made, the World Wide Web has been invented and in 1996 more than one out of every three people have a computer in their home, and two out of every three have one at the office.
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.
to do it with. Internet and communications, digital video and audio composition, and desktop publishing are all features that are only offered on computers. With these tools human society has progressed exponentially.