Computer Fundamentals

Introduction To Computers

• Definition:
• Its an electronic Device that is used for information Processing.
• Computer.. Latin word.. compute
• Calculation Machine
• A computer system includes a computer, peripheral devices, and software
• Accepts input, processes data, stores data, and produces output
• Input refers to whatever is sent to a Computer system
• Data refers to the symbols that represent facts, objects, and ideas
• Processing is the way that a computer manipulates data
• A computer processes data in a device called the central processing unit (CPU)
• Memory is an area of a computer that holds data that is waiting to be processed, stored, or output
• Storage is the area where data can be left on a permanent basis
• Computer output is the result produced by the computer
• An output device displays, prints or transmits the results of processing

Computer
Performs computations and makes logical decisions
Millions / billions times faster than human beings
Computer programs
Sets of instructions for which computer processes data
Hardware
Physical devices of computer system
Software
Programs that run on computers

• Capabilities of Computers
• Huge Data Storage
• Input and Output
• Processing

• Characteristics of Computers
• High Processing Speed
• Accuracy
• Reliability
• Versatility
• Diligence
History Of Computers
• Before the 1500s, in Europe, calculations were made with an abacus
Invented around 500BC, available in many cultures (China, Mesopotamia, Japan, Greece, Rome, etc.)

• In 1642, Blaise Pascal (French mathematician, physicist, philosopher) invented a mechanical calculator called the Pascaline

• In 1671, Gottfried von Leibniz (German mathematician, philosopher) extended the Pascaline to do multiplications, divisions, square roots: the Stepped Reckoner

None of these machines had memory, and they required human intervention at each step

• In 1822 Charles Babbage (English mathematician, philosopher), sometimes called the “father of computing” built the Difference Engine

• Machine designed to automate the computation (tabulation) of polynomial functions (which are known to be good approximations of many useful functions)
– Based on the “method of finite difference”
– Implements some storage

• In 1833 Babbage designed the Analytical Engine, but he died before he could build it
– It was built after his death, powered by steam

Generations of Computers

• Generation of Computers
• First Generation (1946-59)
• Second Generation(1957-64)
• Third Generation(1965-70)
• Fourth Generation(1970-90)
• Fifth Generation(1990 till date)
Generation 0: Mechanical Calculators
Generation 1: Vacuum Tube Computers
Generation 2: Transistor Computers
Generation 3: Integrated Circuits
Generation 4: Microprocessors

Generation 1 : ENIAC
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was unveiled in 1946: the first all-electronic, general-purpose digital computer

The use of binary
In the 30s Claude Shannon (the father of “information theory”) had proposed that the use of binary arithmetic and boolean logic should be used with electronic circuits

The Von-Neumann architecture

Generation 2: IBM7094

Generation 3: Integrated Circuits

Seymour Cray created the Cray Research Corporation
Cray-1: $8.8 million, 160 million instructions per seconds and 8 Mbytes of memory

Generation 4: VLSI
Improvements to IC technology made it possible to integrate more and more transistors in a single chip
SSI (Small Scale Integration): 10-100
MSI (Medium Scale Integration): 100-1,000
LSI (Large Scale Integration): 1,000-10,000
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration): >10,000

Microprocessors

Generation 5?
The term “Generation 5” is used sometimes to refer to all more or less “sci fi” future developments
Voice recognition
Artificial intelligence
Quantum computing
Bio computing
Nano technology
Learning
Natural languages

Generation 5 Computers