The word computer comes from the word to computer that means to calculate in Greek.

So initially the computer was considered to be only a calculating device but now computers have become a general purpose device that can be used beyond arithmetic calculations.

Early days of computers: Huge stone carved structure spread in a circular pattern over a huge ground was used to perform astronomical calculations by considering the position of sun rays.

Abacus: An abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool for performing arithmetic processes. Blaise Pascal: invented an adding machine as named it as pascaline which would perform addition and subtraction.

German mathematician Gottfried Leibnitz, modified this machine and it could now do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division much faster than pascaline & named it as stepped reckoner.

Charles Babbage: invented a machine known as the Difference engine to perform mathematical calculations. Later he designed a general purpose computing device called today as the Analytical Engine. It was meant to do both the arithmetic calculations as well as store data. Since he was the first person to invent the working model of the computer he is known as the father of computers.

Lady Ada Lovelace: developed a special number system for the Analytical Engine called the Binary number system hence she is regarded as the first programmer in computer science field.

ENIAC:(Electronic Numeric Integrator and calculator) was the first electronic computer.Three American scientists John von Neumann, Eckert and Mauchly jointly developed the ENIAC.

Computer: It is an electronic device which is capable of solving problems and manipulating data at a very high speed.It is designed to automatically accept data, store it, Process it, retrieve data and instructions and to produce output results under the directions of a stored set of instructions.

Inputting : is the process of entering data and instructions into the computer system. Most popular devices are the keyboard and mouse. Storing: means saving data and instructions so that they are available for processing as and when required, no instruction can be processed and no piece of information can be processed until it is stored and brought into the primary memory for processing.

Processing : means performing mathematical or logical operations on data in order to convert them into useful information.
Outputting: the process of producing useful information or results for the user such as printed report or visual display. Controlling: Means directing the manner and sequence in which all the above operations .

Major characteristics of a computers are: Speed : Computers work at an incredible speed. This can be understood from the fact that the speed of the computer is measured in terms of milliseconds (one thousandth of a second), microseconds (one millionth of a second), nanoseconds (one billionth of a second) or picoseconds (one trillionth of a second).

Accuracy: The computer is capable of doing what is instructed to do, if faulty instructions are provided for processing the data the resulting answer will be faulty. This is called Garbage in garbage out (GIGO).The degree of accuracy of computer is very high. Consistency:Computer is free from human traits like tiredness , lack of concentration etc. it can work for hours without creating any error.. If millions of calculations are to be performed , it will perform every calculation with the same accuracy.

Versatility:The modern digital computer is used for a variety of purposes. It can work even in adverse conditions where it is not possible for the humans to work.However they have one limitation that they cannot think and reason things. Storage capacity:Today's computers can store a large amount of data (TB). Once recorded a piece of information is never forgotten and any information can be retrieved almost instantly. Automaticity: Once we give appropriate instructions to the computer it will complete the work without any human interference.

Limitations of Computers:
Lack of commonsense Inability to correct

Dependence on Human instructions

Definition: Computer is an electronic device which is designed to accept input, store it, process the data based on a set of instructions and to produce the necessary output accurately and at a very high speed.

First Generation computers(1945-1956) vacuum tubes

Vacuum Tube

1st Generation computer

The vacuum tube computers were very big in size.

These computers used to give a large amount of heat. Rate of failure was more as vacuum tubes burnt out easily.

Electrical power consumption was more.

Input and output was in the form of 1s and 0s.(Binary Digits)

Second Generation computers(19561963)- transistors

Transistors

Second generation computers

Small in size compared to first generation

They used to dissipate less heat than First generation. Rate of failure was less than vacuum tube computers.

Electrical power consumption was lesser.

Different comp. Languages could be used.

Third Generation computers(1964-1971) - Integrated Circuits

Integrated Circuits 3rd generation computers

They were more compact as ICs were used.

These computers use to dissipate lesser heat than second generation. Failure of IC was rare.

Electric power consumption was much lesser.

Different languages were developed.

Fourth Generation computers(1971-Present) - microprocessors

Ultra large scale Integration

They were more compact as they used Ultra large scale Integration.
These computers use to dissipate lesser heat. Failure is negligible.

Electric power consumption was far lesser.

New languages are coming into existance.

Fifth generation present and beyond: Artificial Intelligence

These are still under development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition that are being used today. The goal of fifth generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self recognition. Eg. Gaming: Chess / Puzzle Programs Expert Systems: Systems / Programs which provide expert quality advice, diagnoses and recommendations given real world problems. Natural Language: Computer Systems that allow people to interact without needing any specialised knowledge. You could simply walk up to a computer and talk to it. Ask the interface a question, e.g. Show me a map of Australia. Robotics: Computers that can see and hear and react to other sensory stimuli.