A old but developed gift of technology is computer. It has a long historical background. It took many thousands of years for the computer to be developed into the present and latest from. The development of the computer can be traced back to the efforts of the early men to count large numbers. The counting of small numbers was easily done by early men with the help of their fingers, stones and through scratch marking on the walls of their caves. The process was very tedious and slow. Later on, when men became more civilized, they started using various types of counting devices. Over the centuries, the development of computing and calculating has been changed dramatically.Today we have computers, calculators etc. Now we can solve even very difficult problems accurately within a short time. The development sequence of the computer from early counting to the present state is given below in brief.ABACUS
Abacus is the first calculating device. There is no concrete fact in the history as who developed this device. According to the historical data abacus was used by Chinese, Japanese and Koreans in 3500 B.C. In Asia the Chinese were becoming very much involved in business with the Japanese and Koreans. Business men needed a way to tally accounts and bills. For this need, the Abacus was born. It was used for counting and adding purposes in ancient times. It consists of wooden frame structure with series of vertical rods on which number of wooden beads are allowed to slide freely. Calculations are performed by placing the abacus flat on a table and manipulating the beads with fingers. It can do long and complex calculations very fast. It is still used in China, Japan and some other parts of the parts of the world by traders or businessmen.
NAPIER’S BONE
The Scottish mathematician John Napier invented a calculating device in 1614 AD called Napier’s Bone. It consists of nine pieces of square cards with numbers, carved on them. It is used for multiplication and division. By using some algorithms, the Napier’s bone was also capable of calculating square root and complexes.
SLIDE RULE
The Slide Rule was invented by William Ought red in 1620AD. A simple Slide Rule consists of two graduated scales, of which one scale slips upon the other. This device is very easy to use. With the proper alignment of the two rules, the user can perform simple multiplication and division problems.
PASCALINE
Blasé Pascal, a French mathematician, invented first mechanical calculator called passerine in 1642 AD. He developed this machine to help in his father’s tax work as his father was French tax collector. Passerine contains eight dials, gears and wheels. The numbers were entered by dialing a series of numbered wheels where the movement of wheels started at 9 and moved to 0. An automatic carry over system was accomplished by rotating the adjacent wheel by one digit. This machine was capable of doing only addition and subtraction. Multiplication could be performed by repeated addition and division performed by repeated subtraction.
STEPPED RECKONER
Gottfried Wilhelm on Leibnitz, a German mathematician, invented improved from of passerine in 1694 AD. It was similar to Pascal’s calculator with additional sets of wheels that could perform addition, subtraction as well as multiplication and division. The numbers moved in steps from one column to other column when the multiplication or the division of two numbers was performed.
JACQUARD’S LOOM
A French inventor Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a Loom in 1801 AD. This loom used punched cards to produce certain pattern in the woven cloth. The function of that Loom depended upon the absence
of presence of holes on the punched cards. This concept gave the idea of binary digits; Yes and No, or 0 and 1. it could be considered as a first programmable devices.
DIFFERENCE AND ANALYTICAL ENGINES
Charles Babbage was an English mathematician. He invited an automatic mechanical calculating machine called differential engine in 1822 AD. That device was able to store program, perform calculation and print the result automatically. That was named as a ‘computer’. Computer’s at that time were juat a simple ones. Input, store and output as todays computer have. But todays computer is advamced than those.
Abacus is the first calculating device. There is no concrete fact in the history as who developed this device. According to the historical data abacus was used by Chinese, Japanese and Koreans in 3500 B.C. In Asia the Chinese were becoming very much involved in business with the Japanese and Koreans. Business men needed a way to tally accounts and bills. For this need, the Abacus was born. It was used for counting and adding purposes in ancient times. It consists of wooden frame structure with series of vertical rods on which number of wooden beads are allowed to slide freely. Calculations are performed by placing the abacus flat on a table and manipulating the beads with fingers. It can do long and complex calculations very fast. It is still used in China, Japan and some other parts of the parts of the world by traders or businessmen.
NAPIER’S BONE
The Scottish mathematician John Napier invented a calculating device in 1614 AD called Napier’s Bone. It consists of nine pieces of square cards with numbers, carved on them. It is used for multiplication and division. By using some algorithms, the Napier’s bone was also capable of calculating square root and complexes.
SLIDE RULE
The Slide Rule was invented by William Ought red in 1620AD. A simple Slide Rule consists of two graduated scales, of which one scale slips upon the other. This device is very easy to use. With the proper alignment of the two rules, the user can perform simple multiplication and division problems.
PASCALINE
Blasé Pascal, a French mathematician, invented first mechanical calculator called passerine in 1642 AD. He developed this machine to help in his father’s tax work as his father was French tax collector. Passerine contains eight dials, gears and wheels. The numbers were entered by dialing a series of numbered wheels where the movement of wheels started at 9 and moved to 0. An automatic carry over system was accomplished by rotating the adjacent wheel by one digit. This machine was capable of doing only addition and subtraction. Multiplication could be performed by repeated addition and division performed by repeated subtraction.
STEPPED RECKONER
Gottfried Wilhelm on Leibnitz, a German mathematician, invented improved from of passerine in 1694 AD. It was similar to Pascal’s calculator with additional sets of wheels that could perform addition, subtraction as well as multiplication and division. The numbers moved in steps from one column to other column when the multiplication or the division of two numbers was performed.
JACQUARD’S LOOM
A French inventor Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a Loom in 1801 AD. This loom used punched cards to produce certain pattern in the woven cloth. The function of that Loom depended upon the absence
of presence of holes on the punched cards. This concept gave the idea of binary digits; Yes and No, or 0 and 1. it could be considered as a first programmable devices.
DIFFERENCE AND ANALYTICAL ENGINES
Charles Babbage was an English mathematician. He invited an automatic mechanical calculating machine called differential engine in 1822 AD. That device was able to store program, perform calculation and print the result automatically. That was named as a ‘computer’. Computer’s at that time were juat a simple ones. Input, store and output as todays computer have. But todays computer is advamced than those.
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