Characteristics of Computers

1) Automatic: Given a job, computer can work on it automatically without human interventions 2) Speed: Computer can perform data processing jobs very fast, usually measured in microseconds (10-6), nanoseconds (10-9), and picoseconds (10-12) 3) Accuracy: Accuracy of a computer is consistently high and the degree of its accuracy depends upon its design. 4) Diligence: Computer is free from monotony, tiredness, and lack of concentration. It can continuously work for hours without creating any error and without grumbling.

Characteristics of Computers
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5) Versatility: Computer is capable of performing almost any task, if the task can be reduced to a finite series of logical steps 6) Power of Remembering : Computer can store and recall any amount of information because of its secondary storage capability. It forgets or looses certain information only when it is asked to do so 7) No I.Q.: A computer does only what it is programmed to do. It cannot take its own decision in this regard 8) No Feelings: Computers are devoid of emotions. Their judgement is based on the instructions given to them in the form of programs that are written by us (human beings)

Evolution of Computers
Abacus Pascal Calculating Machine(Pascaline) Electrical Numerical Integrator & Calculator (ENIAC) Charles Babbage Engine Mark I Digital Computer Universal Automatic Computer(UNIVAC) PDP-8

ABACUS
The earliest calculating machine in the world. 5000 years ago by Chinese All are composed of a rectangular frame with beads on vertical wires An abacus is a device used for addition and subtraction, and the related operations of multiplication and division. It does not require the use of pen and paper, and it's good for any base number system

PASCALINE
Also known as the Pascal's Adder, Pascale, or Pascalene

The Pascaline is an 8 figure calculating machine capable of adding, subtracting, and carrying 10's, 100's, and 1000's.

It was developed by Blaise Pascal in 1642.

ENIAC
ENIAC was designed by John Mauchly and Team in 1946

ENIAC contained 17,468 vacuum tubes, 7,200 crystal diodes, 1,500 relays, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors and around 5 million handsoldered joints. It weighed 30 tons The ENIAC was a modular computer, composed of individual panels to perform different functions. Twenty of these modules were accumulators, which could not only add

Charles Babbage Engine

In 1822 Charles Babbage designed the mechanical computing device called the Difference Engine Input Punched Card Output - Printer, Plotter or Bell The Difference Engine was an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions

Mark-I Digital Computer

The first Electro Mechanical Computer Developed by Harvard Professor Howard Aiken in 1937 It contains more than 750000 parts, including switches, relays, rotating shafts and ditches. The machine was 51 feet long, 8 feet high, 2 feet thick and weighing 5 tons

UNIVAC
Addition time 120 microseconds Multiply time 1800 microseconds Division time 3600 microseconds Input Punched Card & Magnetic tape The first commercial computer produced in the United States. It was designed principally by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly

PDP-8
First Commercial minicomputer produced by Digital Equipment Corporation in 1960 The basic version could sit on desktop All Operations Addition