tags | links | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
-
The term "computer" appeared in the 17th and referred to a person who computes (performs mathematical calculations.)
-
The Antikythera Device (100BC) – an ancient analogue “computer” designed to calculate astronomical positions.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231012191325.png]]
-
The Pascaline (17th century) by Blaise Pascal – a calculating machine that could add and subtract numbers, as well as multiply and divide by repetition.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231012191344.png]]
-
The Leibniz’ engine (a.k.a. Stepped Reckoner) (end of 17th century) – a multi-purpose calculating device capable of multiplication and division.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231012191403.png]]
-
De Colmar’s Arithmometer (early 19th century) – 1st commercially successful mechanical calculator.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231012191420.png]]
-
Radhanath Sikdar (19th century) – an Indian mathematician, an early "computer".
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231012191301.png]]
-
Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine (19th century) - first general-purpose, programmable, Turing-complete mechanical computer.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231012191223.png]]
-
Ada Lovelace is the world's first programmer (she used Babbage's enginge).
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231015194010.png]]
-
-
Charactirized by the use of vacuum tubes.
-
The Colossus (1943) - world's first electronic digital computer that was programmable (but dedicated to code breaking, so not general purpose).
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231015195528.png]]
-
ENIAC (1946) - first electronic digital computer that was programmable and general purpose.
-
MONIAC (1949) - an analogue computer which used fluidic logic to model the workings of an economy.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231015195212.png]]
-
However, 1st generation computers had the following issues:
- Generated a lot of heat.
- Unreliable.
- Costly.
- Only supported machine language.
- Huge in size.
- Consumed a lot of electricity.
-
Charactirized by the invention of transistors - small devices used to transfer electronic signals across resistors.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231015201919.png]]
-
The benefits of transistors over vacuum tubes include:
- Smaller in size.
- Do not require warm up time.
- Consumed less energy.
- Generated much less heat.
- Faster.
- More reliable.
-
An example of a 2nd generation computer is IBM 7094.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231015201252.png]]
-
Charactirized by integrated circuits (chips) - a set of electronic circuits on one small plate (chip) of semiconductor material, normally silicon.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231015201731.png]]
-
The number of transistors per chip was measured in 10s to 100s.
- Charactirized by Large Scale Integration (LSI) - 10,000s of transistors per chip.
- Bill Gates founded Microsoft.
- Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple.
- Charactirized by Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) - billions of transistors per chip.
-
Moore's law states that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles about every two years.
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231015203452.png]]
![[Attachments/Pasted image 20231012184957.png]]