History of Computing

History of Computing The antique roadshow of computing

Trivial Pursuit • What do the following all have in common? • census taking • weaving (cloth) • multiplication • daughter of a famous 19th century poet

Definitions • Computation: • The act of mathematical calculation • Computer Science: • The study of the principles and use of computing systems • Computer: • A programmable machine designed to carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem.

Is the Abacus a Computer? • Archaeologists found evidence of this from the 5th century B.C. in Greece. • The earliest known written documentation of the Chinese abacus dates to the 2nd century BC • Example: • Upper level has one bead with two positions. The bead counts for 5 • Lower level has four beads. The right-most column corresponds to ones, then tens, etc…

Abacus • Each column corresponds to a power of 10; increasing from right to left • Each bead must be pushed against either the middle bar or the outer frame • Only beads against the middle bar “count” • Each bead contributes an amount to the total value • Each bead about the bar counts as 5 units with respect to the column • Each bead below the bar counts as 1 unit with respect to the column.

Examples

What is the Number?

Is the Pascaline a Computer? • Blaise Pascal invented the mechanical calculator in 1642. • Used to help reorganizing the tax revenues of the French province of Haute-Normandie. • It could add and subtract directly and multiply and divide by repetition. • Pascal went through 50 prototypes before presenting his first machine to the public in 1645. • He built around twenty more machines during the next decade, often improving on his original design. • Pascaline firsts: • the first calculator to be used in an office (his father's to compute taxes) • the first calculator commercialized (with around twenty machines built) • the first calculator to be patented (royal privilege of 1649) • the first calculator to have a controlled carry mechanism which allowed for an effective propagation of multiple carries.

Is Jacquards Loom a Computer? The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom for manufacturing textiles with complex patterns. The Jacquard loom was the first machine to use punched cards to control a sequence of operations: 1805. The ability to change the pattern of the loom's weave by simply changing cards was an important precursor to the development of computer programming.

The Analytic Engine • Charles Babbage: • 1791–1871 • An English mathematician and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer. • Babbage is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex designs. He never actually completed construction, but the design was sound.

The Analytic Engine • Ada Lovelace: • 1815-1852 • A mathematician, created a program for the Analytical Engine to calculate numbers in the Bernoulli sequence. • Lovelace is widely credited with being the first computer programmer • Ada is a programming language named after her.

Hollerith's Census Machine • Herman Hollerith • 1860-1929 • Invents a machine to assist in counting the U.S. Census • 1890 census is completed in 3 months • Hollerith creates the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. • This company becomes IBM in 1924

What makes a computermodern? Electronic: not exclusively mechanical Digital: not analog Can be programmed: programs and data are essentially the same (stored program concept)

Modern Computers • Differential Analyzer • Completed in 1942. • ENIAC: • Electronic Numeric Integrator and Computer • Completed 1945. • fills a room • Uses 19,000 vacuum tubes and 1,000 relays

Computing Systems • A computing system is composed of • hardware: the physical components of the system • software: the “instructions” that control the hardware • Hardware components include: • Motherboard • Central processing unit (CPU) • Memory (RAM / Drives) • IO Devices • Video Card • Sound Card • Network Card

Sound Memory Video Network KeyboardMouse Computing System CPU

Slots for cards Slot for RAM Slot for CPU Hardware: Motherboard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ASRock_K7VT4A_Pro_Mainboard.jpg

Hardware: CPU • Central Processing Unit • An electronic chip that performs instructions • The “brains” of a computing system • A CPU can only perform very simple tasks: • Can add/subtract/multiply/divide two numbers • Can compare two numbers to see if one is smaller/larger • Can copy/move data from one place to another • CPU’s appear more powerful than this since these tasks are done very quickly

Hardware: CPU

http://biorobots.cwru.edu/server/howto/buildcomp/mountcpu/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ehecatzin/71173187/in/photostream#preview Hardware: CPU

http://biorobots.cwru.edu/server/howto/buildcomp/mountcpu/ Hardware: CPU

Hardware: Storage • All information needed for computing must be “storable” • The instructions that a CPU must perform • The data that the CPU requires as input • The data that the CPU generates as output • Computer storage (or memory) is used to “remember” these things

Past and Future • ICs (computer chips) are created by Robert Noyce & Jack Kilby in mid 60's • Noyce founds Intel in 1970 • Gordon Moore is the other Intel co-founder • Moore is most widely known for a prediction he made that has been surprisingly correct. • Moore's Law: computer hardware will double in complexity every 18 months.

Moore's Law by the Numbers

History of Computing