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Aden

A computer is an electronic device that collects, stores, and processes information according to a set of instructions and returns results. Early computing devices included the abacus and mechanical calculators invented by Charles Babbage in the 1820s-1830s that could perform basic arithmetic but were powered manually or by steam. The modern definition of a computer refers to programmable digital devices that process data using electricity.

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21 views3 pages

Aden

A computer is an electronic device that collects, stores, and processes information according to a set of instructions and returns results. Early computing devices included the abacus and mechanical calculators invented by Charles Babbage in the 1820s-1830s that could perform basic arithmetic but were powered manually or by steam. The modern definition of a computer refers to programmable digital devices that process data using electricity.

Uploaded by

Aden Moalim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is a Computer?

A computer is an electronic machine that collects information, stores it, processes it


according to user instructions, and then returns the result.

A computer is a programmable electronic device that performs arithmetic and logical


operations automatically using a set of instructions provided by the user.

Early Computing Devices

People used sticks, stones, and bones as counting tools before computers were
invented. More computing devices were produced as technology advanced and the
human intellect improved over time. Let us look at a few of the early-age computing
devices used by mankind.

1. first mechanical and automated calculator. It was a wooden box with gears
and wheels inside.
2. Difference Engine
In the early 1820s, Charles Babbage created the Difference Engine. It was a
mechanical computer that could do basic computations. It was a steam-powered
calculating machine used to solve numerical tables such as logarithmic tables.

3. Analytical Engine
Charles Babbage created another calculating machine, the Analytical Engine, in
1830. It was a mechanical computer that took input from punch cards. It was capable
of solving any mathematical problem and storing data in an indefinite memory.

History of Computers Generation

The word ‘computer’ has a very interesting origin. It was first used in the 16th
century for a person who used to compute, i.e. do calculations. The word was used in
the same sense as a noun until the 20th century. Women were hired as human
computers to carry out all forms of calculations and computations.
By the last part of the 19th century, the word was also used to describe machines that
did calculations. The modern-day use of the word is generally to describe
programmable digital devices that run on electricity.

History of Computer

Since the evolution of humans, devices have been used for calculations for thousands
of years. One of the earliest and most well-known devices was an abacus. Then in
1822, the father of computers, Charles Babbage began developing what would be
the first mechanical computer. And then in 1833 he actually designed an Analytical
Engine which was a general-purpose computer. It contained an ALU, some basic
flow chart principles and the concept of integrated memory.

Then more than a century later in the history of computers, we got our first electronic
computer for general purpose. It was the ENIAC, which stands for Electronic
Numerical Integrator and Computer. The inventors of this computer were John W.
Mauchly and J.Presper Eckert.

And with times the technology developed and the computers got smaller and the
processing got faster. We got our first laptop in 1981 and it was introduced by Adam
Osborne and EPSON.

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