INTRO TO COMPUTING WEEK 2: Introduction to Computer Concepts and History of Computers

Computer - an electronic device that takes data, process the
data according to a series of instruction called program and
produces information.
Program - series of instruction that a computer must follow
in order to process data into information.
NAPIER’S BONES
• developed by a Scottish mathematician John Napier
• obtain products & quotients of large numbers
OUGHTRED’S SLIDE RULE

Capabilities of Computers • invented by William Oughtred in 17th century

1. It has the ability to perform mathematical and logical • arithmetic operations could be done by simply sliding the
operation. rulers
2. It has the ability to store or remember a great amount PASCAL’S CALCULATOR
and variety of information and retrieve or recall the • developed by a French mathematician Blaise Pascal in
information needed almost instantly. Capabilities of 1645
Computers • could add & subtract numbers up to 8 digits
3. It has the ability to handle large volume of repetitive
tasks accurately over long period of time. LEIBNIZ CALCULATOR
4. It can communicate with its operators and other • invented by Gottfried Leibniz in 1694
machines. • it utilized the same techniques for addition & subtraction
5. It has the ability to control error and check itself. as Pascal’s device but could also perform multiplication,
division & square root
Limitations of Computers
1. The computer functions only when input and the BABBAGE ANALYTICAL ENGINE
necessary instructions to process the information have • designed to use 2 types of cards: operation cards &
been provided by a human being. variable cards
2. It can detect but generally cannot correct inaccurate • developed by Charles Babbage, the Father of Modern
entry by itself. Computer. It is not because of the machine he builds but
3. It is subject to occasional breakdown or computer rather his ideas became the basis for modern computation
malfunction because of power failures, computer failure, devices
humidity, temperature and maintenance • Augusta Ada Byron, worked with Babbage & considered as
Characteristics of Computers: the First Programmer
1. MACHINE Hollerith’s Punched Card Machine
2. ELECTRONIC
3. AUTOMATIC • developed by a statistician named Herman Hollerith in
4. MANIPULATE DATA 1880 considered as the 1st commercially successful data
5. MEMORY processing machine.
6. LOGIC FUNCTIONS • Hollerith made a census machine used by the US Bureau
of Census in 1890
Computers can be used in:
1. BUSINESS 1800’ s George Boole “Boolean Algebra”
2. HOME 1930’ s Alan Turing - Father of Computer Science
3. ENTERTAINMENT -“General Purpose Programmable Computer”
4. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH Atanasoff - “first electronic digital purpose computer”
5. MILITARY
or “Atanasoff Berry Computer”
Types of Computers 1940’ s Grace Hopper - Introduced the concept of
debugging or finding errors
1. Mainframes
2.Personal Computers ENIAC – Electronics Numerical Integrator and
Computer
• Desktop Computers
• Laptop Computers EDVAC – Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic
3. Tablet PCs Computer
4. Media Centre
EDSAC – Electronic Delay Storage Automatic
5. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
Computer
History: Earliest Computing Device
Stanislaw Ulam - “computer simulation”
ABACUS
• considered as the 1st manual data processing device 1960’ s Ted Hoff - microprocessor chip
developed in China in 12th century A.D.
• performs arithmetic calculations
1970’ s Paul Allen and William Howard (Bill Gates) -
The co-founders of the Microsoft Corporation
1980’s Tim Berners-Lee - proposed/invented the • operate by measuring continuous physical or
World Wide Web (www) electrical magnitudes such as pressure, current,
voltage, length or shaft rotations.
Computer Classifications
Hybrid Computers
1. According to age and component generations
2. According to size • combination of the desirable qualities of the analog
3. According to Operation and digital computers.
4. According to Application
5. According to Design According to Applications

According to Age and Component Generations Scientific Computers

FIRST GENERATION • computers that can manipulate numbers according

to sophisticated formulas and keep track of the results
 VACUUM TUBES to several decimal places.
SECOND GENERATION Business Computers

 TRANSISTORS • computers that usually handle large volumes of data

for input, perform simple calculations like addition
THIRD GENERATION and subtraction and print vast number of reports.
 INTEGRATED CIRCUITS According to Design
FOURTH GENERATION General Purpose Computers
 Medium Scale Integration (MSI) • designed to perform a variety of operations by
 Large Scale Integration (LSI) simply changing instructions.
FIFTH GENERATION Special Purpose Computers
 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) • built for specific operation and usually satisfies the
According to Size needs for a particular type of problem.

Mainframe
• used to describe large computers. It can process
large amount of data at very high speed, hold up to
millions of characters in its storage and support many
input, output, and storage devices.
Minicomputers
• relatively smaller and slower computers compared
to mainframe.
Microcomputers
• typically fits a desktop. Inside of it is microprocessor,
which has control capability for memory and I/O
access, and which contains an arithmetic logic unit all
on a single, chip less than one quarter of an inch
square
According to Operation
Digital Computers
• operates essentially on the basis of distinct (discrete)
“on” and “off” states which can be represented by 1’ s
and 0’s referred to as binary digits.
Analog Computers