TOPIC 3: COMPUTING DEVICES I
Abacus
Features and components
Abacus was invented around 500 BC. It was
made up of strings or wires, frames and beads.
Modern Abacus uses sliding beads in columns
that are divided into two by a center bar. The
upper part is called the heaven and each of the
two beads (representing the two hands) is
worth 5 when moved to the center. The lower
part is called the “earth”, where each of the 5
beads (representing the 5 fingers) is worth 1 when moved towards the center. The Abacus is really just a
representation of the human fingers.
Use
For addition and subtraction
Napier’s Bone
Features and components
John Napier in 1617 invented the Napier’s bone. The
device involves a collection of moveable numbered rods
and a board.
Use
Used to perform multiplication
Slide rule
Features and components
William Oughtred invented the slide in 1632. The
Slide rule is a mechanical analog computer. In its
most basic form, the slide rule uses two
logarithmic scales to allow rapid multiplication
and division of numbers.
Uses
The slide rule is used mainly for multiplication and
division, and also for "scientific" functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry, but usually not for
addition or subtraction.
Pascal’s calculator
Features and components
Blaise Pascal invented the Pascal’s calculator
otherwise called PASCALINE in 1642. It is a gear or
dial driven (just as that on analogue telephone)
calculating device.
Use
It could only be used for addition and subtraction operations. It’s use is evident in odometer and
electricity meter.
Leibniz multiplier
Features and components
Leibniz multiplier or (Stepped Reckoner) was
invented by Gottfried William Leibniz in 1671. It
was an improvement on the PASCALINE. It
contains a special kind of gear called “Leibniz
wheel”.
Uses
It could add, subtract, multiply and divide.
Jacquard’s loom
Features and components
In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard invented the
Jacquard’s loom. This machine was controlled by a
number of punched cards, put together into a
continuous sequence.
Use
Used for producing fabrics with beautiful patterns
Difference engine
Features and components
In 1822, An English mathematics professor called Charles Babbage invented the Difference engine. It was
composed of 25000 parts, weighed 15 tons and stood 8 feet (2.4m) high.
Use
Used for calculating differential equations.
Analytical engine
Features and components
In 1832, Charles Babbage designed another machine
called Analytical engine which was deemed to be the
first mechanical computer. The machine was steam-
powered, though never completed, outlined the basic
elements of a modern day general purpose computer.
It contains input in the form of punched card
containing operating instructions and a "store" for
memory of 1,000 numbers of up to 50 decimal digits
long. It also contained a "mill" with a control unit that
allowed processing instructions in any sequence, and
output devices to produce printed results. Augusta
Ada, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1842) created the
instruction routines to be fed into the computer, making her the first female computer programmer.
Use
It could store 1000 numbers of up to 50 decimal digits long. It was programmable.
Herman Hollerith machine
Features and components
Herman Hollerith invented the Herman Hollerith
machine which used punch card to store
information which he fed into the machine to
compile the results mechanically.
Use
It was used for collating, sorting and summing
the data gotten from 1890 US census.
Burrough’s Machine
In 1885, William Seward Burroughs from
American Arithmometer company invented this
mechanical adding machine. the early Burroughs
models were large machines characterized by
having glass panels in the sides, so the
mechanism could be seen. Common
components of the Burroughs machine:
keypads, Levers, Registers, and Printer.
TOPIC FOUR: COMPUTING DEVICES II
ENIAC
In 1946, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert completed the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical integrator and
Computer). It was the first general purpose computer. ENIAC contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, weighed
30 tons, occupied 1800 square feet of floor space and required 160 kilowatts of electrical power. The
ENIAC used punched card for input and output. ENIAC was used by US for hydrogen bomb project and
programming.
EDVAC
Features and components
The EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) is the successor of the ENIAC and was
made by the same designers: John Mauchly and Presper Eckert in 1949.
Unlike its predecessor the ENIAC, it was binary rather than decimal. It was the first designed stored
program computer with memory capacity of 1000 words (later set to 1,024 words, thus giving a memory,
in modern terms, of 5.5 kilobytes). It contains 6,000 vacuum tubes and consumed 56 KW of power and
covered 490 square feet of floor space.
UNIVAC 1
Features and components
The UNIVAC 1 (Universal Automatic Computer 1) was invented by John Mauchly and Presper Eckert in
1951. The machine was 25 feet by 50 feet in length, contained 5,600 tubes, 18,000 crystal diodes, and
300 relays and had an internal storage capacity 1,000 words or 12,000 characters. It utilized a Mercury
delay line, magnetic tape, and typewriter output. Magnetic tape was still used for input and output. It
was the first commercial computer.
Assignment
State the features and components of the following devices
· Desktop Personal Computers
· Laptop and Notebook Computers
· Palmtop computers
Describe 4 pre computer age computing
devices and state their uses 20mks
