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CHAPTER

Evolution of computers
At $e end of this lesson, students witl be able to describe
r earty calcutating devices r generations of computers r future of computers r UPes of computers
r draracteristics of computers

Computers are used in almost all the places nowadays. Over the years, computers
have gone through many changes in their size, speed, appearance and technologies.
A computer is a device that can do calculations in a very fast and accurate manner.
Let us learn about the history of calculating devices.
B
Ea rly calculating devices @
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ln early times, people used f ingers, stones and z
bones for calculations. -m
Later, the Chinese developed the Abacus which
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helped in counting large numbers.

It was made up of a wooden frame with rods. Abacus

F-ach rod had a definite number of beads. The

abacus was the first calculating device. lt was mainly
used by merchants and traders who needed to count
the items they sold or bought. lt was also used to Fact box
perform basic calculations such as addition, subtraction, The word 'abacus' is taken
from a Greek word 'abax',
multiplication and division. which means 'flat surface'.
Further developments led to the invention of
different machines for calculations.

Nnpier's banes: Napier's bones was invented

by ,Iohn Napier in t6t7. lt consisted of rectangular
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rods made up of bone, ivory, wood or metal. a

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These rectangular rods had numbers written
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on them. Napier's bones was mainly used for
multiplication.

*For detailed instructions, see inside front cover.

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 Pascaline calculator: The Pascaline calculator was developed
by Blaise Pascal in 't642. lt was a rectangular box. Numbers
were displayed on the rotating wheels. lt was mainly
developed for accounting purposes. The first Pascaline could
handle only 5-digit numbers, but later versions were able to
handle 6- and 8-digit numbers as well.

Difference engine: The difference engine was

designed by Charles Babbage in r8zz.
It was designed to do mathematical operations
automatically. lt was one of the earliest )-4

automatic calculators.

Analytical engine: The analytical engine was

developed by Charles Babbage in 1837. lt was a
new kind of mechanica! computer that could solve
complex calculations including multiplication and
division. The basic parts of the analytical engine
resembled the comPonents of a simple computer
system. lt had five units input, output, store, mill
and control.

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Fact box
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Charles Babbage is considered the 'Father of Computers' after
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o- his invention and concept of Analytical Engine. The mill was
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similar to a modern computer's CPU. lt executed the operations
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on values retrieved from the store, which we would consider
memory. lt was the world's first general-purpose computer.
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Generations of computers
The computer has evolved from a large-sized simple calculating machine to a smaller
but much more powerful machine. Computers are *ffiE into five generations.
Each generation used a different technology. Let us discuss the characteristics of each
generation.

First generation computers (1 940 -1 958)

A They used vacuum tubes.
Lo They used punch cards for input and output of data.
a They calculated data in milliseconds.
A They were very large in size but had small storage capacity.
Lo They were slow in speed.
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Lo They consumed a large amount of energy. Vacuum tubes
Examples: ENIAC and UNIVAC.
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical
lntegrator and Calculator) was the \
first electronic computer developed by
). Eckert and ). Mauchly in 1946.
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Wow! Here's
the first
general-purpose
electronic
computer.

EN IAC

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The UNIVAC (Universal Automatic a :ril
Computer) was the first commercially
available computer developed by
J. Eckert and ). Mauchly in 1951.

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UNIVAC
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UNIVAC n
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!fi!! arranged in classes or categories

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 Second generation comPuters (1959-1963)
{g They were smaller in size than the first generation computers.
A They used transistors instead of vacuum tubes.
g1 They used punch cards and magnetic tapes for input and output of data
{t They were faster, cheaper and more efficient than the first generation Transistor

computers.
Q They could calculate data in microseconds.
Lo They were costly and could be used only for specific Purposes.
Examples: IBM 1401, RCA 5o1, Honeyruell 2oo.

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IBM r4ot RCA 5ot

Third generation computers (1954-1 970)

,o They used lntegrated Circuits (lcs) in place of transistors.
An lC is also called a chip and may contain thousands of <-
transistors.
,,r They used keyboard for input of data and monitor for its output.
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lntegrated circuits
,O They were smaller, faster, cheaper and more efficient than the
early computers. Hence, they were made available to the general public.
Examples: IBM 36o, Apple 1, lCL 19oo.

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Fourth generation computers 11971-present)
o They are more powerful and reliable than the previous generation computers.
. They use microprocessors. Microprocessors are Very Large Scale
Integrated (VLSI) circuits which contain many lCs on a single chip.
. They use keyboard, mouse, scanner and so on of data; and
monitor, printer, speakers and so on for its output.
o They have high storage capacity.
. They are much smaller, faster and the cheapest among all the Microprocessor
generations.
Examples: IBM PC, Apple Macintosh, HP 9ooo.

Knor,i lYIiliE
The first integrated
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circuit was
F developed in the

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and Robert Noyce.
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Jack Kitby Robert Noyce

Apple Macintosh

Fifth generation computers (present-future)

The fifth generation computers are still under development. They are expected to have
the following capabilities.
. Use of super large-scale
integrated chips
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. Artif icial intelligence, 1t'
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a technology that enables ,O ,.,

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a computer to think I )
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like humans and perform
human - like tasks such as voice :[,
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recognition, decision- making,
and translation between t m
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Ianguages d.
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p Ability to recognize image Robots use artificial intelligence (At). o
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and voice p3
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t Ability to solve complex problems including decision-making and logical reasoning :t,
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 Let us have a quick recap of all the five generations of computers.

Generation Technology lnput/Output Main characteristics Examples

First Vacuum tubes Punch cards Slow in speed ENIAC,
(tg4o-1958) Required lot of power UNIVAC
Very large in size
Very expensive
Second Transistors Punch cards Smaller, faster and IBM 1401,
(rgsg-1g(ca) Magnetic tapes cheaper RCA 5ol
Third lntegrated Keyboard for input . Smaller, faster and IBM 360,
(rg6t+-197o) circuits (Chips) Monitor for output cheaper Apple l
. lncreased storage
capacity
. Available to general
public
Fourth Microprocessors Keyboard, mouse, High storage capacity IBM PC,
(rglr-present) scanner and so on Could process millions Apple
for input; monitor, of instructions in a macintosh
printer, speakers second
and so on for
output
Fifth Artif icia I Touchscreen, voice Use super large-scale Robots
(Present- intelligence recognition integrated chips
future) Ability to think like
humans
Ability to recogn ize
image a nd voice

Class ACTMTY
Tick (f) ttre correct answer.
1. To which generation does the ENIAC belong?
b. Second c. Third
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2. The abacus was first developed in
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a. Australia. _ b. China. c. America
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3 which of the following was used as an input devica. in second generation computers?
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a. Keyboard b. punch card c. Touchscreen
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Types of computers
Computers are classified into four types on the basis of their performance and capacity.

Supercomputers
Supercomputers have the best processing speed and are also the most expensive.
They are considered to be the most powerful computers. They are used for weather
forecasting, nuclear energy research, earthquake studies, space research and so on.
Examples: PARAM, PRITHVI.

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PARAM Sooo
is considered to
be lndia's first
supercomputer.

W A supercomputer
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It was built
in 1ggo.

Mainframe computers
Mainframe computers can also process data at a very high speed and they are also
quite expensive. They can be used by more than hundred users at a time.
Example: IBM Z series.

Minicomputers
Minicomputers are less advanced as compared to the mainframe computers in terms
of speed and storage capacity. They are also less expensive than the mainframe
computers. They are used by small businesses and firms.
Example: PDP-ll.

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A mainframe computer
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A minicomputer
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 Microcomputers
personal
Microcompute6 are small in size and less expensive, They are also called
computers as they are designed for personal use' Microcomputers are specially
designed for general use like entertainment, education and office work.
some manufacturers
of microcomputers are Dell, Apple, HP and lBM. MicrocomPuters are of various tyPes.

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Desktop comPuters are Laptops are smaller than a Tablets and PalmtoPs
large and are usuallY desktop computer and can are smaller than laPtoPs
placed on a desk. be placed on the laP of a and can be carried
person. along easily.

ACTIVITY
Match the columns.

'r. IBM Z series a. MicrocomPuter

2. PARAM b. Mainframe comPuter

3. DELL c. MinicomPuter
4. PDP- ll d. SupercomPuter

Characteristics of a comPuter
. Accuracy: lt never gives wrong result if the input and instructions are correct'
. Speed: lt can perform huge calculations very quickly'
o Diligence: lt does not get tired or bored like humans. lt can work for hours doing
the same job.
o High storage: lt can store a large amount of data and information for future use
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which can be retrieved easilY.
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o . versatility: lt can perform different tasks, so it is used at different places for
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different kinds of work.
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t6 . Multitasking: lt can do multiple things at the same time'
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Limitations of a computer
o lt does not work on its own but requires a set of instructions.
o lt needs to be instructed about each and every step it has to perform.
I lt cannot take decisions on its own.

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RECAP CORNER

' ln early times, people used fingers, stones and bones for calculations. Later, the abacus
was developed as the first calculating device.
.., Charles Babbage is considered as the father of computers.
' computers are classified into five generations, each generation having some distinct
characteristics.
. The first generation computers used vacuum tubes, the second generation computers used
transistors, the third generation computers used lcs, the fourth generation computers
use microprocessors and the fifth generation computers are expected to use artificial
intelligence.
. Artificial intelligence is the technology that enables a computer to think like humans
' and perform human-like tasks such as voice recognition, decision-making and translation
between languages..,'
computers are claisified into four types based on their performance and capacity -
supercomputers, mainframe computers, minicomputers and microcomputers.
Microcomputers are further classified into desktop computers, laprops, palmtops and tablets.

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EXERCI ar CORNER &

A. Tick (/) the correct answer.

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1. Which is the first calculating device? -/
a. Difference engine b. Abacus V c. Pascaline
2. lnto how many generations
- are computers cJassified?
-
a. Four b. Five '/ c. Six

3. Fourth generation computers use -- m

a. artificial intelligence. b. integrated circuits. _ c
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c. microprocessors . 3
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4. Desktop computers, Iaptopsr^ palmtops and tablets are categories of J

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a. microcomputers . -/ b. supercomputers c. minicomputers. d
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 B. Write T for True or F for g
False.
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r. The analytical engine consists of only pnto units input.and mill. r^\t t.
2. Second generati on computers used transistors.
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3. Fifth generation comp uters use i

4. Minicomputers are more expensive than su mputers.

5. A computer can take decisions on its own.

C. Name the foltowing.

t. The first calculating device A t3 A ctuJ
2. The first automatic calculating device \ r r-t
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3. The first electronic computer
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4. The first commercially available computer UNrvA L
5. lndia's first supercomputer PAR.A\I\ 8,1N,"

D. Answer these questions.

r. Write a short note on the history of calculating devices.

z. Write the full forms of ENIAC and UNIVAC.

3. What are the characteristics of second generation computers?

4. Name the devices used for input and output processes in four.th generation computers.
5. Write two examples and uses of supercomputers.

6. Write short notes on the following:

a. Abacus b. Artificial lntelligence c. Microcomputers

E. Discuss. fE
Discuss in which fields can robots be used? fu a fifth generation scientist, what qualities
would you want to have in your personal robot?

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Do the following activities.
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r. Make a PowerPoint presentation on 'Top to Supercomputers of the World'. You can take
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help from the lnternet or other books and magazines to collect the relevant information.
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c z. Make a timeline of the history of computers on a chart paper. You can collect pictures
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) of various computers and paste them as required.
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