HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTER DEVICES 1 (PRE COMPUTER AGE TO 19TH CENTURY) - SS1 NOTES

 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTER DEVICES 1 

(PRE COMPUTER AGE TO 19TH CENTURY)

INTRODUCTION

Man has put every effort to have a better method of calculation. These devices were developed for better calculations. The 19th Century Pre Computer Age devices are:

1. Abacus

2. Napier's Bone

3. Slide Rule

4. Pascal's Calculator

5. Leibnitz Multiplier

6. Jacquard's Loom

7. Charles Babbage Difference Engine

8. BABBAGE’S ANALYTICAL ENGINE

9. LADY ADA LOVE LACE

10. Hollerith's Census Machine

11. Borough's Machine 

(1)  ABACUS: This is the first calculating device invented by Chinese. It is made up of a frame divided into two parts by a horizontal bar and vertical threads. It is also known Soroban in Japan and Suan Pan in China. It is used for adding and subtracting numbers.

(2)    JOHN NAPIER BONE: In 1917, Scotsman named John Napier invented logarithm which are a technology that allows multiplication. It consists of a set of eleven rods, with four sides each used as a multiplication tool. These rods were made with bones.

(3)    SLIDE RULE: Napier’s invention led directly to slide rule. It was first built in England in 1632. It uses two logarithm scales to allow rapid multiplication and    division of numbers.

(4)   PASCAL’S CALCULATOR: In 1642, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and scientist at age 19 invented the PASCALINE which is the first mechanical calculating machine. It is used for addition and subtraction of up to 8 digits number.

(5)  LEIBNITZ’S CALCULATOR: It was realized by scientist Pascal. The toothed wheels could also perform multiplication by repeated addition of number. Baron Von Leibnitz , the German philosopher and mathematician worked on Pascal machine in 1671 but did not complete his first calculating machine until 1694. It can multiply, divide, add and subtract.

(6)   JACQUARD’S LOOM: Jacquard’s Loom was one of the first machines that were run by a program. It initiated the storage of information on punch cards. The punch cards were secured tightly alongside each other in a sequential manner. It is used automatically produce textile designs as per the program on the punched card.

(7)  BABBAGE’S DIFFERENCE ENGINE: Charles Babbage designed the difference engine in 1822 and produced the first reliable life tables that were in use for the next 50 years. It could solve polynomial equations using numerical method called “the method of difference”.

(8)   BABBAGE’S ANALYTICAL ENGINE: In 1834, Babbage had an idea for a completely different machine. This device has a large house with five units; input, output, store, mill and control unit.

(9)     ADA LOVE LACE: Augusta Ada Byron, Lady Love Lace was born on December 10, 1815 the daughter of the illustrious poet, Lord Byron. Ada suggested to Babbage, writing a plan for how the engine might calculate Bernoulli numbers. This is regarded as the first computer program. A software language developed by US department of Defence was named “Ada” in her honour in 1979.

(10)   HERMAN HOLLERITH TABULATING MACHINE: Herman Hollerith’s punch cards and tabulating equipment are used in the US census. It assisted in the processing of the data from the 1890 U.S. census.

(11)    BURROGHS MACHINE: William Burroughs built his first experimental model of an adding machine with printing 1884. The distinguishing features are the high sloping keyboard, the bevelled glass front, and the printing mechanism out of sight at the rear of the machine. The machine performs addition only, with no provision for subtraction.