NCCS School

Project Work
On
History of Computer





___________________________
Submitted By: Submitted to:
ABC Computer Science Teacher
Class: 9 Computer Science Department
Roll No: 32 NCCS School
Table of Contents

1. Introduction: ......................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Historical Background of Computer..................................................................................................... 5
2.1. Abacus ........................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2. Pascaline ....................................................................................................................................... 6
2.3. Leibniz Calculator ......................................................................................................................... 6
2.4. Jacquards loom ............................................................................................................................ 7
2.5. Analytical Engine Difference Engine ............................................................................................ 7
2.6. Lady Ada Byron Lovelace ............................................................................................................. 9
2.7. Herman Hollerith .......................................................................................................................... 9
3. The Generations of Digital Computing: ............................................................................................. 10
3.1. First Generation 1946-1958 (The Vacuum Tubes) ..................................................................... 10
3.2. Second Generation Computer ................................................................................................... 11
3.3. Third Generation Computer 1965-1971 (Integrated Circuit) .................................................... 12
3.4. Fourth Generation 1972-Present (Microprocessor) .................................................................. 13
3.5. Fifth Generation Computer Future- (Bio Chips) ........................................................................ 14
4. Some Latest Input and Output Devices: ............................................................................................ 15
4.1. Input Devices .............................................................................................................................. 15
4.2. Output Devices ........................................................................................................................... 16









1. Introduction:

Computer technology is currently taking center stage in everyday lives. The
increasing use of computer technology in our lives has resulted in a new and
improved way of thinking, living and working. Today, computers are no
longer specialized tools used only by scientists or engineers. They do not hum
behind sealed glass walls in climate-controlled environments. Now, they are
put to use for all sorts of applications ranging from complex calculations in
the field or frontline research, engineering simulations, education, printing
books and recreational games. They have become so deeply embedded in our
society that almost no activity would be possible without them.

Computer is making a significant impact in many different areas of our
world. It has become so deeply embedded in information processing and
communication systems that almost no activity would be possible without
them. The modern computers possible the following abilities:
A computer can perform complex and repetitive calculations rapidly
and accurately.
A computer can make decisions on the basis of given instructions.
A computer can store large amount of data and information.
A computer can correct and modify certain parameters automatically.
A computer provides meaningful information to the user.

Computer certainly have some strengths, which makes them immensely useful
and popular. Some of the strengths of computer are:
Speed: A modern computer can execute millions of instructions in one
second. Its single operation can be measured in terms of millisecond,
microsecond, nanosecond, and picosecond.

Accuracy: A computer is highly accurate and degree of accuracy of a
particular computer depends upon its design.

Automatic: A computer executes its process without any intervention of
the user once it is assigned to a work.


Storage Capacity: A computer has tremendous data storage capacity
due to the use of secondary storage which can be retrieved quickly.

Versatile: Computer can be used to perform activities ranging from
complex calculations in scientific research and space research to routine
office work.


Reliable: Computer has a high degree of reliability because it carries
out calculations with high degree speed and accuracy.

Diligent: A computer can work being constant and earnest in effort and
application. It can work continuously at the same level of speed and
accuracy even if it has to carry complex operations for long period of
time.

Computer is not only the powerful tools ever developed. It has many useful
applications however, it does possesses some limitations. The limitations are:

Lack of Decision-Making Power: Computer cannot take its decision. It
needs special instructions to operate. A computer cannot decide how to
be programmed or provide its own input.

Zero IQ: Computer is dump machine. It possesses no intelligence of its
own. Its intelligence quotient is zero. It has to be told what to do and in
what sequence.

No Heuristics: Computer cannot learn from its past experiences. If
computer commits an error once and a similar situation occurs again
and again, the computer will commit the same error again.




2. Historical Background of Computer

The history of computer dates back to long ago when the early men dwelled in
caves or in forests and lived a nomadic life. They used stones for counting or
made scratches on walls or tied knots in a rope to record information. All
these computing techniques required some physical efforts form men. A lot of
effort was required for large calculations and the process was very slow. This
necessitated the development of new machines for better and faster
computations.
The tireless effort of scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, engineers,
professors etc. who were directly or indirectly involved for the development of
various computing devices, helped to being the modern computers in this
stage. Some of the milestones in the evolution of computers are described as
follows:

2.1. Abacus

Considered to be the first calculator, the abacus was created by the Chinese in
2600 B.C. People would use this device to keep track of number by sliding
beads across strings or wooden bars.










Fig 1. Abacus

2.2. Pascaline

In 1647, Blaise Pascal created the first mechanical adding machine for use by his
father. A French tax collector, his father used the gear-driven machine, called
the Pascaline, to help him add and subtract. It is known as the first calculator.







Fig. 3: Pascaline
Fig. 2: Blaise Pascal
2.3. Leibniz Calculator

In 1673, Gottfried Leibniz invented the Leibniz Calculator. Not only could this
machine add and subtract, but it was also able to multiply and divide.







Fig. 4: Gottfried Leibniz Fig. 5: Leibniz Calculator

2.4. Jacquards loom

Nearly 200 years later, in 1801 (during the Industrial Revolution) a French man
named Joseph Marie Jacquard developed a way to help weaving machines
create patterns on cloth material. This technique involved using cards with
holes punched in them to guide the weaving machine, allow intricate patterns
to be created in fabrics like broadcloth and tapestries.
The Jacquard loom had a profound impact on computing in that it was one of
the first devices that could be programmed.









Fig. 6: Jacquards Loom Fig. 7: Jacquards Loom


2.5. Analytical Engine Difference Engine

In 1823, Charles Babbage developed a machine called the Difference Engine. He
intended this machine to have a stored program and to perform calculations
and print the results. However, after 10 years of labor (1837), he abandoned
this machine to work on and even better one: the Analytical Engine.
Although the Analytical Engine was never completed, Babbages design outlined
the basic components of todays multipurpose computers: input to be
processed, memory to store information, a processing unit to allow the
information to be manipulated and output device to display the results of the
processing. Because of his early contributions, he is known as the Father of
Computers.







Fig. 7: Difference Engine Fig. 7: Difference Engine 2











Fig. 9: Charles Babbage Fig. 10: Analytical Engine


2.6. Lady Ada Byron Lovelace

Lady Ada Byron Lovelace was a
mathematician who worked with Charles
Babbage on his analytic engine. Lovelace
outlined the fundamentals of computer
programming, including looping and
memory addressing. It is because of this
work Lovelace is thought of as the first
computer programmer. Her work was
published in 1843, in an English science
journal.

Fig.11: Lovelace
2.7. Herman Hollerith

Just before the turn of the century, one invention which stemmed from these
hole-punched cards set a course for the future of computers. Herman Hollerith
used Jacquards hole-punched cards to operate a machine using electrical
impulses it was called the Tabulating Machine. In 1890, his machine was used to
help tabulate United States census information. Hollerith was the founder of
the company which later known as IBM.







Fig. 12: Heman Hollerith Fig. 13: Tabulating Machine
3. The Generations of Digital Computing:
The development of computers took place in five distinct stages based on the
technology, mode of functioning and the size, known as generations of
computer.
Over the years, there have been phenomenal technical advancements in the
field of computer technology. Computer technology has undergone a series of
transitions, each of which has made computers increasingly easy to use. If
provides framework for the growth of the computer industry. Each generation,
in the history of computing is characterized by a major technological
development that fundamentally changed the way computers operate, resulting
in increasingly smaller, powerful, efficient and reliable. Each generations of
computers a little more closely with their distinctive features is examined as
follows:
3.1. First Generation 1946-1958 (The Vacuum Tubes)
Vacuum tubes were invented in the 1940s. They look like long light bulbs. There
were electronic devices that controlled the flow of electricity in a computer. The
used lots of electricity, got very hot, and would burn out. This caused the
computer to stop working.







Fig. 14: Vacuum Tubes Fig. 15: Mark I
These computers were based on vacuum tubes technology.
They were very large and occupied a very large space.
The power consumption was very high and they generated a large
amount of heat.
These computers had low level of accuracy and reliability.
They were restricted to commercial and scientific applications.
3.2. Second Generation Computer
Second-Generation Computers, in the 1950s and 1960s, used transistors. These
computers were somewhat smaller, less expensive to build, much faster in
operation, and much more dependable.






Fig. 14: Second Generation Computer Fig. 15: Transistor
Second generation computers were based on Transistor
They used magnetic disk and magnetic tape for storage.
They used assembly language and high level language such as COBOL,
FORTAN etc. for programming.
The input was in the form of punched card and output was in the form of
printouts.





3.3. Third Generation Computer 1965-1971 (Integrated
Circuit)
Third-Generation Computers, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, used integrated
circuits. These tiny circuits were even faster and more reliable than transistors.
Integrated circuits, or IC's, were very small. They took up very little space.




Fig. 16: IC Fig. 17: Third Generation Computer (IBM 360)
Third generation computers were based on Integrated Circuit technology
They used semiconductor device as a memory
The high level programming languages were used for programming.
Keyboard was used to as n input device and monitor was used as output
device.
Commercial production became easier and cheaper







3.4. Fourth Generation 1972-Present (Microprocessor)
Fourth-Generation Computers use microprocessors. These are the computers
we use today. It was not until the 1980s that these computers were affordable
and small enough to use in our homes and schools.









Fig. 18: Apple 2, 1977 Fig. 19: Core i7, 2008


Fig. 20: Intel 4004, the first commercial
Processor
Fourth generation computers are based on microprocessor technology
They used VLSI called microprocessor for electronic circuits
They are portable and quite reliable
They are very powerful than the previous generation
They use GUI Operating System
Pointing device used as a mouse
3.5. Fifth Generation Computer Future- (Bio Chips)

Fig. 22: Sample Computers


Fig. 23: Latest Smartphone by Apple Fig. 24: Google Car (driverless)

Fifth generation computers are in developmental stage which is based on the
artificial intelligence. The goal of the fifth generation is to develop the device
which could respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and
self-organization. Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology
will be used in this technology. So we can say that the fifth generation
computers will have the power of human intelligence.
The fifth generation computers will use super large scale integrated chips.
They will have artificial intelligence.
They will be able to recognize image and graphs.
Fifth generation computer aims to be able to solve highly complex
problem including decision making, logical reasoning.
They will be able to use more than one CPU for faster processing
speed.
Fifth generation computers are intended to work with natural
language.
4. Some Latest Input and Output Devices:
4.1. Input Devices


Fig. 26: Air Mouse Glove Fig. 27: Biosensor helmet

Fig. 28: Flexible Water Proof Keyboard Fig. 29: Feel pen-on-screen




4.2. Output Devices


Fig. 30: Laser-Based Headset Fig. 31: Speaker

Fig. 32: TV Card Fig. 33: Speech Output Device