History Of the Computer

History Of the Computer                             

What is computer?

Computer is an electronic device which can perform arithmetic and logical operations together.

In other word, a computer is an electronic data processing device. It can read and write, compute and compare, store, and process large volume of data. It works at high speed, gives out accurate and reliable results. It works on stored program concept.

The word computer comes from Latin word “compute” that means to calculate, to count.

Computers were developed from calculators as the need arose for more complex and scientific calculations.

Origin of the Computer:   

    Abacus : 

    The history of computers starts out about 2000 years ago, at the birth of the abacus, a wooden rack holding two horizontal wires with beads strung on them. When these beads are moved around, according to programming rules memorized by the user, all regular arithmetic problems can be done.

Abacus paved the way for the invention of Computers. This was the first calculating device. Around 1200 AD, the Chinese invented abacus. It is still used in China, Japan and some parts of Russia for performing mathematical calculations.

Napier’s bones : 

Napier’s bones were developed by a Scottish mathematician, John Napier in 1617.He developed Napier’s bones or Napier’s Rods to minimize the burden of calculation. Napier’s bones was a manual device used for multiplication. Digits from 1-9 were numbered on each row. There were columns also on which there were multiples of digits (1-9).This helped in multiplication of two digits.

John Napier was educated in France and at the University of St Andrews. He came from a noble family and pursued mathematics as a hobby.

Pascaline :

Another calculating device which led to the development of computers was the Pascaline. It was developed by a French mathematician Blaise Pascal in 1642.It had a number of wheels which had digits from 0-9.

 At the age of 19, Pascal invented a calculating machine that could add and subtract, in order to help his father with his business. He built and sold about 50 pascalines.

Leibniz calculator : 

This device looked like a calculator and could easily perform all kinds of mathematical calculations in just one go .A mathematician named  Gottfried Von Leibniz invented this machine in  1664.

Leibniz was the son of a professor of moral philosophy and he developed an interest in a wide range of subjects from his father’s library. During his trips to London, he became more interested in mathematics. 

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