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The History of Computer Definition and Channels

The document provides an overview of the history of computers, including that Charles Babbage is considered the father of computers for designing the analytical engine in 1830. It discusses the development of early electronic computers by Konrad Zuse and others in the 1930s-40s and the advancement of computer technology through vacuum tubes, transistors, integrated circuits and microprocessors. The document also notes that personal computers emerged in the 1970s.

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40 views3 pages

The History of Computer Definition and Channels

The document provides an overview of the history of computers, including that Charles Babbage is considered the father of computers for designing the analytical engine in 1830. It discusses the development of early electronic computers by Konrad Zuse and others in the 1930s-40s and the advancement of computer technology through vacuum tubes, transistors, integrated circuits and microprocessors. The document also notes that personal computers emerged in the 1970s.

Uploaded by

Alfadzri Hdjrl Ñûsâd
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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History of Computers | Definition & Types

Lesson

Transcript

Jessica Hitch, Paul Zandbergen

Learn about the history of the computer. Study the computer definition, trace the evolution of computer
software and hardware, and identify the uses of computers. Updated: 11/21/2023

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a computer explained?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary notes that a computer is ''a programmable usually electronic device that
can store, retrieve, and process data.''. Computers use software, hardware, and programming languages
to facilitate data processing.

Who invented the computer?

The analytical engine designed by Charles Babbage in 1830 is considered by many to be the first
computer. So, Charles Babbage is often called the father of computers.

What is the history of computers?

Charles Babbage, who began developing the analytical engine in 1830, is considered to be the father of
computers. Computers have become smaller, lighter, faster, and easier to use since the first functional,
fully automatic, and programmable digital computer, the Z3, was developed between 1935 and 1941 in
Germany.

Table of Contents

What Is a Computer?

History of Computers Timeline

Computer Hardware and Software Development

Lesson Summary

Show
What Is a Computer?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the computer definition is ''a programmable usually


electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data.'' Today, many people use computers at
work, school, and home to prepare documents, play games, send and receive e-mails, surf the internet,
watch videos, and more.

Types of Computers

There are many different types of computers, including:

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The First Electronic Computers

Many different types of mechanical devices followed that built on the idea of the analytical engine. The
very first electronic computers were developed by Konrad Zuse in Germany in the period 1935 to 1941.
The Z3 was the first working, programmable and fully automatic digital computer. The original was
destroyed in World War II, but a replica has been built by the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Because his
devices implemented many of the concepts we still use in modern-day computers, Zuse is often
regarded as the 'inventor of the computer.'

Around the same time, the British built the Colossus computer to break encrypted German codes for the
war effort, and the Americans built the Electronic Numerical Integrator Analyzer and Computer, or
ENIAC. Built between 1943 and 1945, ENIAC weighed 30 tons and was 100 feet long and eight feet high.
Both Colossus and ENIAC relied heavily on vacuum tubes, which can act as an electronic switch that can
be turned on or off much faster than mechanical switches, which were used until then. Computer
systems using vacuum tubes are considered the first generation of computers.

Vacuum tubes, however, consume massive amounts of energy, turning a computer into an oven. The
first semiconductor transistor was invented in 1926, but only in 1947 was it developed into a solid-state,
reliable transistor for the use in computers. Similar to a vacuum tube, a transistor controls the flow of
electricity, but it was only a few millimeters in size and generated little heat. Computer systems using
transistors are considered the second generation of computers.
It took a few years for the transistor technology to mature, but in 1954 the company IBM introduced the
650, the first mass-produced computer. Today's computers still use transistors, although they are much
smaller. By 1958 it became possible to combine several components, including transistors, and the
circuitry connecting them on a single piece of silicon. This was the first integrated circuit. Computer
systems using integrated circuits are considered the third generation of computers. Integrated circuits
led to the computer processors we use today.

Personal Computers

Computers quickly became more powerful. By 1970 it became possible to squeeze all the integrated
circuits that are part of a single computer on a single chip called a microprocessor. Computer systems
using microprocessors are considered the fourth generation of computers.

In the early 1970s computers were still mostly used by larger corporations, government agencies and
universities. The first device that could be called a personal computer was introduced in 1975. The Altair
8800 was made by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems. It included an Intel 8080 processor
and 256 bytes of memory. There was no keyboard, and instead programs and data were entered using
switches. There was no monitor, and instead results were read by interpreting a pattern of small red
lights.

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