Chapter 1 Introduction to Computer

In these modern times, machines are but the usual thing we use in
our daily living for it can do so many things for many people of
different lifestyles. There are machines that manufacture clothes and
foods, fly people through the air, carry heavy loads from one floor to
the other, keep foods from spoiling, bridge people despite long
distance through modern communication facilities. There is a machine
designated not only to solve business but logical problems as well.
It performs arithmetic operation faster and more accurate than of a
human. It goes on working without asking for an increase in salary.
This machine is called “Computer”. To worst thing about computer is
that nobody tells them how “thing” works and how it can be used to
solve problems. More often, we think computer as a modern typewriter.
Computer has many things to offer.

What is a Computer?

A computer is an electronic device that is capable of solving

mathematical and logical problems. It manipulates data through a set
of instruction called program.

History and Related Development of Computer

Until the 19th Century, people found business calculation as a

very complex job because they have to be done “in the head”. The
first manual method of data processing was counting with the aid of
the ten fingers. But finger counting had its limitation that was
overcome by using stones for basic arithmetic. The early counting
devices made the way to the development of computer.

Early Counting Devices

Abacus (Early 16th Century)

It is considered the first manual counting device consisting of
beads strung on wire that can perform simple arithmetic operations
such as addition and subtraction.

Pascaline (1642)
It was invented by a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal. It was
considered the first mechanical counting device that can perform the
same operations as that of the Abacus. He also developed the Odometer
that is being used today.

Leibniz’s Calculator(1674)
Using Pascal’s principle, Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibniz, a famous
German mathematician and philosopher built a machine incorporating the
two major operations such as the multiplication and division and added
the extraction of square root.
Automatic Textile Loom (1801)
Joseph Marie Jacquard was the first to successfully used punched
cards. He introduced another concept which is the programmability
that our computer has today.

Difference Engine and Analytical Engine(1809)

Charles Babbage invented the so called Difference Engine used for
compilation of accurate navigational and artillery tables. Though it
was not well accepted, Babbage conceived the analytical Engine which
later was not completed because it required electronic circuit. It
might have been the first working general-purpose computer had it been
built.

Tabulating Machine(1890)
Dr. Herman Hollerith, a man who used to be working with the
American census bureau adopted the principle of Jacquard that used
punched card. Data processed were coded as holes in the cards.

Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator(1937)

Mark 1 was the other name of Automatic Sequence Controlled
Calculator built by Howard Aiken in collaboration with IBM engineers.
Mark 1 is the largest electromechanical computer capable of performing
long sequence of arithmetic operations. It was also the first
automatic general-purpose tal computer.

ENIAC (1937)
ENIAC is an acronym for Electronic Numerical Integrator and
Calculator. It was built by John W. Mauchly and John P. Eckert at the
Moore School of Electrical Engineering. This computer has the idea
and principles of Anasoff’s Berry Computer.

EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer)

This computer was built by John Von Neumann, a modified version
of ENIAC that would use what he called the stored program idea.

EDSAC (Electronic Display Storage Automatic Computer)

Developed by Maurice Wilkes, this machine was termed as the first
stored program electronic computer.

Characteristics of Computer
1. It is a machine
2. It is electronic
3. It has memory
4. It can manipulate data
5. It has logic functions

Limitations of Computer
1. It cannot correct errors in instruction.
2. It cannot generate all by itself.
3. It cannot respond to living objects.
4. It is subject to accasional breakdown.
5. It is instruction-dependent.
Capabilities of Computer
1. It can store and retrieve information.
2. It can detect errors, that monitors the accuracy of its
internal operation.
3. It can perform mathematical and logical operations.
4. It can do several jobs simultaneously over a long period of
time at a extremely fast speed and with greater accuracy.
5. It is capable of analyzing data and make decision based on the
given instruction.
6. It can handle large volume of repetitive, tedious tasks.
7. It can handle remote processing and can communicate with the
user.

Classification of Computer
There is a wide variety of computers and a great number of
designs and models available in the market today. In some instances,
this variety becomes redundant to which some are almost similar in
features and capabilities.

Computers may be classified according to size or memory capacity,

according to purpose, according to age, according to application,
according to designs, and according to number of users.

According to Size(Memory Capacity)

1. Microcomputers(personal computers)
These are the smallest general-purpose computers that can
perform the same operations as large computers can. They
consist of the microprocessor and associated storage and
input/output elements.
2. Minicomputers
These are relatively fast but small and inexpensive computer
with somewhat limited input/output capabilities. In
physical size, minicomputers can vary from a desktop model
to a unit the size of a small cabinet.
3. Mainframe
This large computers system that has the capability to
support many powerful peripheral devices which offers faster
processing speed and greater storage capacity than a typical
mini.
4. Supercomputers
Computer systems characterized by their very large size and
very high processing speed. Generally used for complex
scientific application. The most powerful computer in
operation today is the Cray 2.

According to Purpose
1. General-Purpose Computers
It has the capability of dealing with variety of different
problems created to meet different needs.

2. Special-Purpose Computers
 These are designed to handle only a specific problem such as
computer designed to land an aircraft.

According to Operations

1. Analog

This device operates on data by converting physical quantities

like voltage, temperature, speed, pressure, and the likes.

2. Digital

This computer handles numbers in a discrete form. In addition

with arithmetic operations, the digital computer is capable of
storing data as long as needed, performing logical operation,
editing input data and printing the output at a great speed.

3. Hybrid Computer

A device that has the capability of both analog and a digital

device. It incorporates the measurement capability of analog
and the logical and control capability of digital device.

According to Age

1. First Generation (1951-1958)

Vacuum tubes(electronic tubes about the size of a light bulb)

were used as the internal computer components. Magnetic core was
the principal form of technology used for primary storage and it
stored data on punched cards using machine language in
programming.

2. Second Generation Computer (1959-1964)

Transistors, which is a small type of electrical circuitry, was

used as major component and assembly language (symbolic language,
was used in programming.

3. Third Generation Computer (1965-1970)

Integrated circuits (electronic circuit on a small chip of

silicon) made up this kind of computer and these chips hailed as
a generation breakthrough because they have four(4) desirable
characteristics( reliability, compactness, low cost, and power
use).

4. Fourth Generation (1971-present)

An extension of the third generation of computer technology.

Specialized chips called microprocessors were developed for
 computer memory and logic. Computers are much smaller than those
of the first generation by almost 100 times.

5. Fifth Generation (future)

A ten-year project of the Japanese government and private

industry to develop a so called fifth generation. Artificial
Intelligence(AI) is a field of study that explores how computers
can be used for tasks for intelligence, imagination and
intuition. People believed that the fifth generation computer
will have circuitry based on gallium arsenide instead of silicon.