Evolution of Computers
👉 The Evolution of Computers: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” The saying holds for computers too. Researchers developed computers because of man’s quest for fast and accurate calculating devices.
📌 The first mechanical adding machine was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642. Later, the first calculator for multiplication was invented by Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz of Germany in 1671. Keyboard machines originated in the US around 1880; we use them today.
📌 Around the same period, Herman Hollerith developed the concept of punched cards that computers used extensively as input medium even in the late 1970s. Business machines and calculators appeared in Europe and America towards the end of the nineteenth century.
📌 Charles Babbage, a 19th-century Professor at Cambridge University- is considered the father of modern digital programmable computers. He had employed a group of clerks to prepare mathematical and statistical tables. Charles Babbage had to spend several hours checking these tables because even the utmost care and precautions could not eliminate human errors.
Soon he became dissatisfied with this type of monotonous job. As a result, Charles Babbage started thinking about building a machine that could compute tables guaranteed to be error-free. In this process, he designed a “Difference Engine” in 1882 that could produce authentic tables.
In 1842, Charles Babbage came out with his new vision of a fully automatic Analytical Engine performing basic arithmetic functions for any mathematical problem at an average speed of 60 additions per minute.
Unfortunately, he could not produce a working machine model because the precision engineering required to manufacture the machine was unavailable during that period. However, his efforts established several principles fundamental to the design of any digital programmable computer.
📌 A major drawback of the early automatic calculating machines was that their programs were wired on boards, making it difficult to change programs. In the 1940s, Dr. John Von Neumann introduced the “stored program” concept that helped overcome hard-wired program problems.
The main idea of this concept is that a sequence of instructions and data can be stored in a computer’s memory for an automatically direct flow of operations. This feature considerably impacted the evolution of modern digital computers because of the ease with which extra programs can be loaded and executed on a single computer.
Due to this feature, we usually refer to modern digital computer devices as stored-program digital computers.
Initial Development of Computers
📌 When our ancestors resided in the cave in the early days, counting was a problem. When they started using stones to count their animals or possessions, they never knew that this day would lead to today’s computer.
People today started following a set of procedures to perform the calculation with these stones, which later led to the creation of a digital counting device. The predecessor of the first calculating device was known as Abacus.
Abacus
❃ The 1st mechanical calculating device– used for calculation is called the Abacus. It is used to perform calculations (addition and subtraction) very easily and speedily. The Egyptians first developed it, but later, the Chinese educationists finalized its shape.
❃ Abacus (made up of a wooden frame) containing a rod fitted across by the round beads sliding on the given rod. The abacus device is split into two parts (Heaven and Earth), where Heaven is the upper part and Earth is the lower part.
❃ In the Abacus, numbers can be represented or calculated by placing each of the beads properly.
❃ So, in short, Abacus is the counting device used to calculate and perform various mathematical functions easily, leading to visualization, memory, accuracy, creativity, etc.
Napier’s Bone
❃ John Napier invented it in the year 1617.
❃ It was also an operating device operated manually to calculate the given number’s quotients and products.
❃ It looks like a board game containing a rim in it. And its rods are placed inside the rims for calculations where the numbers are printed.
❃ It was the better calculating device invented at that time.
Pascal’s Calculator
❃ In 1642, Blaise Pascal (French scientist) invented the machine (Pascal’s calculation) used for addition.
❃ Pascal’s calculation represents the position of each digit with the help of gears.
❃ The objective is to perform basic calculations and operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc., made of metal.
❃ The calculation of numbers is done by turning the wheels clockwise.
Leibniz Calculator
❃ In 1671, the scientist Gottfried Leibniz modified the Pascal calculator and designed his machine to perform various mathematical calculations based on multiplication and division.
❃ Leibniz Calculator is also known as the Leibniz wheel or Stepped reckoner.
❃ It is a machine used for calculating the Engine of a class– of mechanical calculators.
Analytical Engine
❃ The Analytical Engine was invented by Charles Babbage in the year 1833. It is created to keep our data safe.
❃ It included all those features used in today’s computer language. Because of this great achievement or invention, Charles Babbage is also known as the father of the computer.
❃ Analytical Engine is created for general purposes and is fully program-controlled and an automatic mechanical digital computer. It was commonly programmed with punched cards.
❃ Although the evolution of digital computers is rooted in the Abacus and early mechanical calculating devices were invented.