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History of Computer

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9 views7 pages

History of Computer

Uploaded by

itsahmednaveed
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 PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Napier's bones

Napier's bones are a manual calculating device invented by John Napier of Merchiston, Scotland,
for the calculation of products and quotients of numbers.
They are also known as Napier's rods.

How they work:


Rods: A set of rods, usually made of bone or ivory, is numbered from 0 to 9
Multiplication table: Each rod has a multiplication table for its corresponding number, split diagonally into two halves.
Calculation: To multiply two numbers, you arrange the corresponding rods side by side and read the product from
the diagonal lines.
Pascaline
• The Pascaline was a mechanical calculator invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642. It is
considered one of the earliest adding machines and a significant step towards modern
computing devices.
• Key features:
•Mechanical operation: It used a series of gears and wheels to perform calculations.
•Addition and subtraction: The Pascaline could add and subtract numbers directly.
•Limited capacity: Early models had a capacity of up to six digits, later versions expanded to eight.
•Practical applications: It was designed to assist with financial calculations, particularly for tax collectio
Stepped Reckoner or Leibniz Wheel
• The Stepped Reckoner or Leibniz Wheel was a mechanical calculator invented by
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the late 17th century. It was a significant
improvement over the Pascaline and is considered a precursor to modern
mechanical calculators.
• Key features:
•Stepped drum: The calculator used a stepped drum with teeth of varying lengths to represent different
digits.
•Multiplication and division: It could perform multiplication and division, in addition to addition and
subtraction.
•Improved efficiency: The stepped drum mechanism allowed for faster and more accurate calculations
• compared to the Pascaline.
•Limited production: Due to the complexity of its construction, the Leibniz Wheel was not widely produced
or used.
Difference Engine
• The Difference Engine was a mechanical calculator designed by Charles Babbage
in the early 19th century. It was intended to automate the calculation of
mathematical tables, such as logarithms and trigonometric functions.
Key features:
•Mechanical operation: It used a series of gears and wheels to perform calculations.
•Polynomial interpolation: The Difference Engine was designed to calculate polynomials using
•the method of differences.
•Limited scope: Babbage originally envisioned a small-scale Difference Engine, but later expanded his
•plans to a larger, more complex version.
•Incomplete construction: Due to financial and technical challenges, Babbage was only able to complete
• a small portion of the Difference Engine.
Analytical Engine
• The Analytical Engine was a mechanical general-purpose computer designed by
Charles Babbage in the mid-19th century. It is considered one of the earliest
conceptualizations of a modern computer.
• Key features:
•Programmability: The Analytical Engine was designed to be programmable, meaning it could be
•instructed to perform different calculations based on a set of instructions.
•Memory: It would have included a store (memory) to hold data and instructions.
•Mill (processor): The mill would have performed the actual calculations.
•Input/output: The engine would have been able to read input from punched cards and print output.
•Looping and branching: It would have been capable of performing conditional branching and looping,
•allowing for more complex calculations.
Tabulating Machines
• Tabulating Machines were mechanical devices used to process large amounts of
data, particularly in censuses and statistical surveys. They were developed in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries and played a crucial role in the automation of
data processing.
• Key features:
•Punched cards: Tabulating machines used punched cards to represent data. Each card had holes
• punched in specific positions to encode information.
•Mechanical sorting and counting: They used mechanical mechanisms to sort and count data based
• on the patterns of holes in the cards.
•Tabulation: Tabulating machines could produce summary tables of data, such as frequency distributions
• and averages.
•Efficiency: They were significantly more efficient than manual data processing methods.

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