Evolution of Computing Devices/Machines
Abacus
An ancient calculating tool, first used by Egyptians, and later improved by Chinese and
Japanese people. Even today, it’s taught to small kids (nursery level) to make learning
counting and math fun.
Structure:
- Rectangular wooden frame with vertical rods holding beads.
- Frame split into two parts:
* Upper deck (Heaven): Each rod has 2 beads, each worth 5 units.
* Lower deck (Earth): Each rod has 5 beads, each worth 1 unit.
Working:
- Beads moved toward the center divider add value.
- Rightmost rod = ones place, moving left = tens, hundreds, etc.
- No bead near divider = value 0; 1 heaven bead = 5; 1 earth bead = 1.
Napier's Bones
Invented by John Napier (Scottish mathematician) in 1617.
- Manual device with number tables on rods ('bones').
- Helped in multiplication, division, and finding square roots.
- Turned multiplication into repeated addition, and division into repeated subtraction.
- Later improved for practicality.
Pascal's Adding Machine (Pascaline)
Invented by Blaise Pascal (French mathematician) in 1642 at age 19.
- First mechanical and automatic calculator.
- Could add and subtract automatically.
- Multiplication could be done by repeated addition.
- Could not directly do division or complex functions.
Leibniz Machine (Stepped Reckoner)
Invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (German mathematician) in 1673.
- Improved Pascal's design.
- Could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division mechanically.
Jacquard Loom & Punched Cards
In 1804, Joseph Marie Jacquard (French inventor) created a loom that used punched cards
to control weaving patterns.
- Could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- Made lengthy calculations easier.
Punched Card:
- Stiff paper card with holes representing data or instructions.
- Used for data storage and giving instructions to early computers.
- Also called IBM card or Hollerith card.
Jacquard Loom:
- First machine to use punched cards for automated tasks.
- Allowed interchangeable cards to change tasks quickly.
Difference Engine
Designed by Charles Babbage (professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, England)
in 1822.
- Could perform many mathematical calculations automatically.
- First step toward modern computing machines.
Analytical Engine
In 1833, Charles Babbage designed an improved version of the Difference Engine.
- Could follow instructions, making it a general-purpose computing machine.
- Planned to perform many types of tasks, not just one type of calculation.
- Never built in his lifetime — remained a concept.
Charles Babbage is known as the 'Father of the Computer' because he gave the first concept
of a general-purpose programmable computer.
Mark-I Computer
In 1944, Howard H. Aiken designed the Mark-I computer, developed by IBM.
It was based on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine idea.
The Mark-I was huge (like a long room) and had thousands of parts. It was the first machine
that could automatically do calculations after receiving instructions.
ENIAC
ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator.
It was made by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania during
World War II for the U.S.
It was very large (1,800 sq. ft.) and used:
● 20,000 vacuum tubes
● 1,500 relays
● 10,000 capacitors
● 70,000 resistors
It was the first electronic computer that could do math using decimal numbers.
EDVAC
EDVAC stands for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer.
It was the improved version of ENIAC, built at Moore School of Electrical Engineering,
Pennsylvania.
It was considered the first mainframe computer of that time.
It used the binary number system and was the first to have the stored-program concept.
EDSAC
EDSAC stands for Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator.
It was designed by Maurice Wilkes at the University of Cambridge, UK.
It followed the stored-program idea given by John von Neumann.
It was the first computer to successfully run a stored program on 6 May 1949.
Introduction to a Computer System
A computer is an electronic machine that takes data, processes it, and gives results.
Before computers, people had to spend a lot of time doing calculations, and the harder the
problem, the more time it took.
With computers:
● Calculations became faster and easier.
● They also help with logical operations, sending/receiving emails, typing documents,
listening to music, watching videos, and running apps on smartphones.
A computer has:
● Hardware – the physical parts like monitor, keyboard, CPU, etc.
● Software – the set of programs that make hardware do a task.
A computer system means hardware + software working together to do a specific job.
