Evolution of Computer – Best Notes and PDFs

Evolution of Computer – The computer is a man-made electronic machine that changes the way we work, live, and plays. A machine that has done all this and more now exists in nearly every business and one out of every two households. This incredible invention is the computer. Through this post, we are providing students with Evolution of Computer Generation Notes, PDF and an important list on the evolution of computer timeline.

Evolution of Computer Notes

Evolution of Computer – The electronic computer has been around for over a half-century, but its ancestor abacus has been around for 2000 years. The computer evolution can be seen from the first wooden abacus to the latest high-speed microprocessor, the computer has changed nearly every aspect of people’s lives for the better.

1. Abacus

The abacus is one of the earliest known computation devices. It is a tool that helps in calculating answers of arithmetic problems. It is simply a wooden rack holding parallel wires on which beads are strung. Calculations are done by manipulating the beads. The abacus was developed in China about 5000 years ago. The abacus was so successful that its use spread from China to many other countries.

2. Pascal Calculator

The first real mechanical calculator was invented by a French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal, around 1645. The device was constructed by Interlocking gears representing the numbers 0 to 9. It was only able to do addition and subtraction, so it is called adding machine.

3. Analytical Engine

In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard perfected the idea of the automated weaving loom. Using holes punched into a series of connected cards, Jacquard was able to control the weaving of fabrics. The Jacquard loom not only cut back on the amount of human labor but also allowed for patterns to be stored now on cards and to be utilized over and over again to achieve the same product.

In 1820 Charles Babbage, a British mathematician and inventor, designed and built the mechanical calculator and the Difference Engine on principles that anticipated the modern electronic computer. The concept Babbage put forward was eventually used by engineers in the development of the first computer prototype. For this reason, Charles Babbage is known as the father of computing. Despite ten years of work, Babbage failed to build a fully operational model of Difference or Analytical Engine.

In 1842 Lady Lovelace wrote a demonstration program and her contribution to binary arithmetic was later used by John Von Neumann in developing the modern computer. So she is often regarded as the “first computer programmer”.

4. Herman Hollerith Punch Cards

In 1890 the United States Census Bureau asked Herman Hollerith to find a way to speed up the processing of census data. Herman Hollerith created punched cards that resemble today’s computer cards. He also invented the Hollerith 80-column code and tabulating machine.

5. First Electronic Computer (ENIAC)

Howard Aiken, with his colleagues at Harvard and with some assistance from International Business Machines he had built by 1942 the Mark I, the world’s first program-controlled calculator, an early form of a digital computer. In 1944 John Mauchley, an American Physicist, and J. Presper Eckert, an American engineer, proposed an electronic digital computer, called the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC), and completed it in 1946 which is regarded as the first successful general digital computer.

6. Stored Program Concept (EDSAC)

According to John Von Neumann’s concept, the operating instructions and data used in processing should be stored inside the computer. Whenever necessary the computer would have the capability to modify these program instructions, during their execution. This concept was incorporated into the EDSAC computer (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer), which was developed at Cambridge University. This computer was capable of storing a sequence of instructions, the equivalent of the first computer program.

7. UNIVAC 1

It is the short form of Universal Automatic Computer. In 1951 it was introduced and became the first commercially available computer. The UNIVAC 1 was characteristic of the first generation of computers.

List of Evolution of Computer Generation

	Image	Name	Year	Invented by	Features
1		Abacus	2000BC-3000BC	China	The earliest computation device Addition, Subtraction, Square root
2		Pascal Calculator	1645	Blaise Pascal	The first real Mechanical Calculator Also, known as Adding Machine
3		Weaving Loom	1801	Joseph Marie	First Mechanical Loom Automated weaving loom working repeatedly on the same pattern Based on Punched holes to control weaving pattern
4		Analytical Engine	1834-1871	Charles Babbage	The concept of analytical engine used eventually in the development of the first computer prototype. So, he is known as father of computer.
5		Herman Tabulating Machine	1880	Herman Hollerith	A device to punch data into card First electromechanical machine used to store data for census in 1890
6		Mark 1	1944	Howard Aiken	World’s first program-controlled calculator The Largest Electro-mechanical computer ever built Magnetic Drums are used for storage
7		ENIAC	1950	John Mauchly and J.P. Eckart	Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer First electronic digital Computer Used for weather prediction, atomic energy calculation and other scientific uses.
8		ESDAC	1946-52	John Von Neumann	Fist computer with internal storage capacity Capable of storing instruction and data in memory Used mercury delay lines for memory and vacuum tubes for logic Able to calculate tables (multiplication) of squares and prime numbers
9		UNIVAC	1951	Eckert and JW Mauchly	UNIVERSAL AUTOMATIC COMPUTER First-generation of computer Used magnetic tapes as input and output First general-purpose computer with a large amount of input and output First commercially available computer

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