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History of Computing

The history of computing began long before modern computers and included early counting methods and mathematical concepts represented through tools like tally sticks. Eventually, abstract concepts like numbers became understood and formal systems like arithmetic were developed. Modern computing is based on number systems like binary, which represent values as combinations of digits that computers can interpret and process according to stored programs. The earliest mechanical computing devices included the abacus and slide rule, while pioneers like Babbage designed programmable engines. This led to the development of digital computers in the 1940s and modern stored-program architectures.

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169 views3 pages

History of Computing

The history of computing began long before modern computers and included early counting methods and mathematical concepts represented through tools like tally sticks. Eventually, abstract concepts like numbers became understood and formal systems like arithmetic were developed. Modern computing is based on number systems like binary, which represent values as combinations of digits that computers can interpret and process according to stored programs. The earliest mechanical computing devices included the abacus and slide rule, while pioneers like Babbage designed programmable engines. This led to the development of digital computers in the 1940s and modern stored-program architectures.

Uploaded by

Austin Agbason
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© © All Rights Reserved
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History of computing

The history of computing is longer than the history of computing hardware and modern computing
technology and includes the history of methods intended for pen and paper or for chalk and slate,
with or without the aid of tables.
Concrete devices
Digital computing is intimately tied to the representation of numbers. But long before abstractions
like the number arose, there were mathematical concepts to serve the purposes of civilization. These
concepts are implicit in concrete practices such as:
• One-to-one correspondence, a rule to count how many items, e.g. on a tally stick, eventually
abstracted into numbers.
• Comparison to a standard, a method for assuming reproducibility in a measurement, for
example, the number of coins.
• The 3-4-5 right triangle was a device for assuring a right angle, using ropes with 12 evenly
spaced knots, for example.
Numbers
Eventually, the concept of numbers became concrete and familiar enough for counting to arise, at
times with sing-song mnemonics to teach sequences to others. All known human languages, except
the Piraha language, have words for at least "one" and "two", and even some animals like the
blackbird can distinguish a surprising number of items.
Advances in the numeral system and mathematical notation eventually led to the discovery of
mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, squaring, square
root, and so forth. Eventually the operations were formalized, and concepts about the operations
became understood well enough to be stated formally, and even proven. See, for example, Euclid's
algorithm for finding the greatest common divisor of two numbers.
What are the number systems in Computer?
Number systems are the technique to represent numbers in the computer system architecture,
every value that you are saving or getting into/from computer memory has a defined number
system.
Computer architecture supports following number systems.
• Binary number system
• Octal number system
• Decimal number system
• Hexadecimal (hex) number system
1) Binary Number System
A Binary number system has only two digits that are 0 and 1. Every number (value) represents with 0
and 1 in this number system. The base of binary number system is 2, because it has only two digits.
2) Octal number system
Octal number system has only eight (8) digits from 0 to 7. Every number (value) represents with
0,1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 in this number system. The base of octal number system is 8, because it has only 8
digits.
3) Decimal number system
Decimal number system has only ten (10) digits from 0 to 9. Every number (value) represents with
0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8 and 9 in this number system. The base of decimal number system is 10, because it
has only 10 digits.
4) Hexadecimal number system
A Hexadecimal number system has sixteen (16) alphanumeric values from 0 to 9 and A to F. Every
number (value) represents with 0,1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E and F in this number system. The base
of hexadecimal number system is 16, because it has 16 alphanumeric values. Here A is 10, B is 11, C
is 12, D is 13, E is 14 and F is 15.
Table of the Numbers Systems with Base, Used Digits, Representation, C language representation:

Number system Base Used digits Example C Language assignment

Binary 2 0,1 (11110000)2 int val=0b11110000;

Octal 8 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 (360)8 int val=0360;

Decimal 10 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 (240)10 int val=240;

Hexadecimal 16 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, (F0)16 int val=0xF0;


A,B,C,D,E,F

Number System Conversions


There are three types of conversion:
• Decimal Number System to Other Base
[for example: Decimal Number System to Binary Number System]
• Other Base to Decimal Number System
[for example: Binary Number System to Decimal Number System]
• Other Base to Other Base
[for example: Binary Number System to Hexadecimal Number System]
Decimal Number System to Other Base
To convert Number system from Decimal Number System to Any Other Base is quite easy; you have
to follow just two steps:
A) Divide the Number (Decimal Number) by the base of target base system (in which you want to
convert the number: Binary (2), octal (8) and Hexadecimal (16)).
B) Write the remainder from step 1 as a Least Signification Bit (LSB) to Step last as a Most Significant
Bit (MSB).
Common terms of number systems
1. Base
2. Absolute value
3. Position
1. Abacus: Abacus is one of the first counting mechanical devices used for calculation. Abacus is a
small device, it consist of beads strung on wire or wooden rod in a rectangular frame, which slides
easily. The Chinese were the first to use abacus. It is used for addition and subtraction of numbers.
2. Slide Rule: In 1632, an English Mathematician, William Oughtred designed the first linear slide
rule, although the familiar inner sliding rule was invented by an English instrument-maker, Robert
Bissaker in 1654. However, the modern slide rule was made by Amedee Mannhein in 1859. Slide rule
consist of a graduated scale, which can be moved relatively to aid simple calculation mechanically. In
simple slide rules, multiplication, division and finding of square root can be done.
3. John Napier’s Bone
In the early 1600s, a Scottish mathematician called John Napier invented a tool called Napier’s Bone.
It consists of eleven rods, with four sides each which was used as a multiplication tool.
4. Schickard’s calculating clock
The first gear-driven calculating machine to be built was probably the calculating clock, so named by
its inventors, a German professor, Wilhelm Schickard in 1623. This device got little publicity because
Schickard died soon afterward in the bubonic plague.
5. Blaise Pascal Machine
Blaise Pascal a nineteen years old French mathematician invented a calculating machine in 1642 and
named it Pascaline. He did that to aid his father who was a tax collector. It is used for addition and
subtraction of up to 8 digits number.
6. Gottfried Leibniz’s Machine
A German mathematician named Gottfried leibnitz in 1671 built a better machine that would save
time. He called it Leibnitz’s stepped Reckoner. The machine can add, subtract, multiply divide and
calculate square root of numbers.
7. Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine
An English Mathematician Charles Babbage decided to build a machine that could perform difficult
calculations accurately and more quickly than previous machines. In 1837, Charles Babbage designed
the first programmable computer which he referred to as the analytical engine. According to
Babbage’s design, the analytical engine would be able to save instructions, perform calculation and
produce the printed output. He is widely recognized as the father of modern computer.
8. Herman Hollerith’s machine
Herman Hollerith’s machine was developed in the late 19th century by an American called Herman
Hollerith. This machine was used to process census information in the U.S.A in 1890. Hollerith
formed a company to sell his machine but later merged with other companies to form the popular
IBM (International Business Machine) Computer which is the largest computer manufacturing
company today
9. John Von Neumann Machine
In 1945, a mathematician, John von Neumann developed the stored program concept in which
program could be read into computer memory for processing.

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