Ministry of Secondary Education
Government Technical High School
 *
*
G.T.H.S - Fundong
hDepartment of Computer Science
Republic of Cameroon
Peace – Work - Fatherland
TOPIC: HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
COMPUTERS
Class: Form 1
By: DZEUGANG PLACIDE
Learning objectives
After studying this topic, student should be able to:






Define some important terms related to computer (data, information, ICT, ...)
State the characteristics and limitations of computers
Trace the evolution of machines and data processing
Identify the major innovations brought about by the evolution of machines
Cite and characterize the different generations of computer
Cite the different types of computers
Table of Contents
Learning objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Lesson 1: OVERVIEW ON COMPUTER ................................................................................................... 2
Lesson 2: EVOLUTION OF MACHINES ................................................................................................... 6
Lesson 3: GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS ........................................................................................... 9
Lesson 4: TYPES OF COMPUTERS ......................................................................................................... 11
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Page 1 of 12
TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
Lesson 1:
By: DZEUGANG Placide
OVERVIEW ON COMPUTER
Learning objectives
This lesson aims to:



Defines some important terms related to computer
Give some characteristics of the computer
Give some limitations of the computer
I.
FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM OF A COMPUTER
Input
devices
Data
Processor
Information
Output
devices
Storage
devices
II.
DEFINTION OF COMPUTER
A Computer is an electronic device capable of receiving, processing and store data
automatically. It performs the following operations in sequence.




Accept data (input)
Process the data according to specified rules (processing)
Produce results (output)
Store the results for future use (storage)
The four basic operations of a computer are then: input, processing, output and storage
The computer is made up into two main parts:
-
A physical part called Hardware and
A logical part called Software
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TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
III.
By: DZEUGANG Placide
OTHER DEFINITIONS
Let’s define some common words and expressions related to computer:
a) Data
Data is what we feed into the computer. There are raw facts (text, image, sound, …) that still
need to be processed (organized and arranged) into a form that can be understood and used, and
later stored. Examples: population statistics, blood samples in a hospital, pictures, …
b) Data processing
This is the term used when a computer follows the directives of programs installed in it to
transform the input data to obtain meaningful output. The processing is handled mainly by the
processor of the computer system
c) Information
This is meaningful and useful material that is derived from the processing of data. Information is
what comes out as output. Example: Result of laboratory test, the percentage of success on GCE,
…
d) Computing
This is the act of developing and using the computer to perform an activity. It includes the
designing and building of hardware and software systems for a wide range of purposes,
processing and managing various kind of information, doing scientific studies using computers,
…
e) Computer science
It is the study of computers, including their design, operation, and use in processing information.
f) ICT
ICT stands for Information and Communication Technologies. It is the application of modern
communications, computing and digital technologies to create, store, exchange and use
information in it various forms.
g) Program :
Set of instructions that enable a computer to perform a given task.
h) Computer user:
That is somebody with little or no technical knowledge of computers, but who can use the
computer to create specific documents and to communicate.
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TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
By: DZEUGANG Placide
i) Computer Literacy:
It is the knowledge and ability to use computers and technologies efficiently.
IV.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPUTER
 High speed : Computers have the ability to perform routine tasks at a greater
speed than human beings. They can perform millions of calculations in seconds.
 Accuracy : Computers are used to perform tasks in a way that ensures accuracy.
 Storage : Computers can store large amount of information.
 Automation : Computers can be instructed to perform complex tasks
automatically and repeatedly ( which increases the productivity).
 Diligence : Computers can perform the same task repeatedly & with the same
accuracy without getting tired.
 Versatility: Computers are flexible to perform both simple and complex tasks.
 Cost effectiveness: Computers reduce the amount of paper work and human
effort, thereby reducing costs.
V.
LIMITATIONS OF COMPUTERS
 Computers need clear & complete instructions to perform a task accurately. If the
instructions are not clear & complete, the computer will not produce the required
result.
 Computers cannot think.
 Computers cannot learn by experience.
VI.
DISADVANTEGES OF COMPUTER
 Unemployment
 Hacking and scamming
 Viruses
 Sicknesses (eyepain, backpain, RSI, …)
 Laziness
 Dependency
 …
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TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
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By: DZEUGANG Placide
Page 5 of 12
TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
Lesson 2:
By: DZEUGANG Placide
EVOLUTION OF MACHINES
Computers of today are quite powerful, sophisticated and very fast. They were not so in their
earlier stages. In fact they have travelled a long distance from primitiveness to
sophistication. Before the invention of the computer, many other devices were used for
calculation. This lesson aims to give a look at other calculations devices used before the
computer as we have today.
Lesson objectives
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to give some examples of machine used for
calculations before the invention of computer, the date of inventions and the name of the
inventors
I.
EARLIERS CALCULATION MACHINES
These are some machine used for calculation before the invention of computer
1. Abacus:
Abacus emerged around 5000 years ago in Asia Minor and it is still in use in some parts of the
world today.
2. Napier Bones:
It has been invented by John Napier, a Scottish mathematician, in 1614. This device enabled
multiplication in a fast manner, if one of the numbers was of one digit only (for example, 6 ×
6745).
3. Pascaline:
In 1642, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, scientist and philosopher, invented the first
functional automatic calculator. However, the usage of this device was limited to addition and
subtraction only
4. Leibniz Calculator
In 1694, Von Leibniz, a German mathematician, built a more advanced calculating machine. It
was a calculation device which could perform additions and subtractions along with
multiplication and division
5. Jacquard’s Loom
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TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
By: DZEUGANG Placide
In 1801, Joseph Jacquard invented a new type of loom for weaving cloth. Punched cards were
used to control the operation of the loom.
6. Difference Engine:
In 1822, Charles Babbage, a professor of mathematics, devised a calculating machine known as
difference engine, which could be used to mechanically generate mathematical tables.
7. Analytical Engine:
Analytical engine is considered to be the first general-purpose programmable computer. It was
invented in 1835 by Charles Babbage.
8. Hollerith's Tabulator:
Herman Hollerith invented the punched-card tabulating machine to process the data collected in
the United States' census. This electronic machine was able to read the information on the cards
and process it electronically. In 1896, Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company,
which was later named as IBM (International Business Machines).
II.
SOME EARLIER COMPUTERS
Before discussing various generations of computers, let us discuss some well-known computers
of the past, which are considered to be predecessors of modern computers.
1. MARK-I Computer
From the year 1937 to 1944, Howard Aiken, an American mathematician, developed MARK-I.
It was essentially a serial collection of electromechanical calculators and had many similarities to
Babbage's analytical
2. ABC Computer
At the end of 1939, John Vincent Atansoft and Clifford Berry built the first electronic
computer named as ABC (Atansoft Berry Computer). It is considered the first computing
machine, which introduced the idea of binary arithmetic, regenerative memory and logic circuits.
3. Colossus
In 1944, Alan Mathison Turing, a British mathematician, created a computer called the
colossus, which comprised 1800 vacuum tubes. It was one of the world's earliest working
programmable electronic digital computers.
4. ENIAC
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TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
By: DZEUGANG Placide
In 1946, John Eckert and John Mauchly developed Electronic Numerical Integrator and
Calculator (ENIAC). ENIAC consisted of 18,000 vacuum tubes, which required around 160
KWof electricity and weighed nearly 30 tons.
5. EDVAC
John Eckert and John Mauchly also proposed the development of Electronic Discrete Variable
Automatic Computer (EDVAC). EDVAC was completed by 1946 and came into existence only
in 1949. EDVAC contained approximately4000 vacuum tubes and 10,000 crystal diodes.
6. UNIVAC
The Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) was the first commercially available electronic
computer. It was manufactured by the Eckert Mauchly Corporation in 1951 and its
implementation
marked
the
real
beginning
of
the
computer
era.
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Page 8 of 12
TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
Lesson 3:
By: DZEUGANG Placide
GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS
Computer being an electronic device, its size, capabilities and power at any time are greatly
influenced by the existing state of electronics of that time. The evolution of computer can be
better understood if we put it in terms of the different generations of computers. Various
generations of computer that came into existence, are described in this lesson.
Lesson objectives
At the end of this lesson, student should be able to describe the different generations of
computer, the circuitry, the technology and the main characteristic of each.
I.
FIRST GENERATION (1940–1956)
First generation computers were voluminous in size. They were made using vacuum tubes.
Their memories were made of thin tubes of liquid mercury and magnetic drums. Some of first
generation computers are ENIAC, EDSAC and UNIVAC I etc.
II.
SECOND GENETATION (1956–1963)
Transistor was invented as a smaller and more reliable successor of the vacuum tube.
The transistor was more reliable, less expensive, and smaller than the smallest vacuum tube. It
consumed very little power and produced much less heat. This development brought the
computers very close to man and made it a very popular machine. Some of the names of
second generation computers are IBM series, UNIVAC III, CDC 1400 series, Honeywell etc.
III.
THIRD GENERATION (1964–Early 1970s)
The development of integrated circuit (semiconductor devices with several transistors built
into one physical component) was another milestone in the history of computer science. The
first ICs were based on small-scale integration (SSI) circuits, which had around 10 devices per
circuit (or ‘chip’), and evolved to the use of medium-scale integrated (MSI) circuits, which had
up to 100 devices per chip. These computers had better storage devices and improved
input/output devices, such as Visual Display Unit (VDU), Magnetic Ink Character Reader
(MICR) and high-speed line printers. These computers used operating system. Some of the
popular computers of this generation are IBM 360 series, 370 series, UNIVAC, HOG 9000
series etc
IV.
FOURTH GENERATION (Early 1970s–Till Date)
The development of microprocessor chip that contains entire central processing unit (CPU)
on a single silicon chip led to the invention of fourth generation computers. Large scale
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TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
By: DZEUGANG Placide
integration (LSI - 1000 devices per chip) and very large scale integration (VLSI - 100,000
devices per chip) were used in the construction of the fourth generation computers. graphical
user interface (GUI) was introduced. In a graphical user interface, users interact with programs
that run in their own sizeable windows.
V.
FIFTH GENERATION (Present and Beyond)
Fifth generation computers are dreams of Japanese scientists. They are expected to combine
very-large-scale integration (VLSI) with sophisticated approaches to computing, including
Artificial Intelligence. These computers will have Knowledge Information Processing
System (KIPS) rather than the present Data/Logic Information Processing System. Japan
has chosen the PROLOG (Programming in logic) language as its operating software and
plans to have the final machine, which will talk with human beings, see and deliver
pictures and hear man’s natural language.
SUMMARY
Generation Years
First
(1940–
1956)
Second
(1956–
1963)
Third
Fourth
Fifth
GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS
Circuitry
Technology
Main characteristics
Vacuum tubes
Difficult
to
program
voluminous in size
Transistors
more reliable, less expensive,
consumed very little power
and produced much less heat
Integrated circuits
SSI and MSI VDU and GUI
(1964–
1970)
Microprocessor
(1970–
present)
(present
Artificial
and future) Intelligence
LSI
VLSI
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and Development of GUI
Communicate with human
being and hear human natural
language
Page 10 of 12
TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
Lesson 4:
By: DZEUGANG Placide
TYPES OF COMPUTERS
Lesson objectives
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to describe the different types of computers.
Introduction
These days, computers are available in many sizes and types. Some computers can fit in the palm
of the hand, while some can occupy the entire room. Computers also differ based on their dataprocessing abilities. Based on the physical size, performance and application areas, we can
generally divide computers into four major categories: microcomputer, minicomputer,
mainframe computer and supercomputers.
Figure 1. Classification of Computers
I.
MICROCOMPUTERS
Microcomputer is the smallest category of computers, in which single microchip is used for two
basic units i.e. Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU) and Control Unit. This microchip is often
referred to as microprocessor. Microcomputers are further classified into following categories:
-
Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
a) Desktop Computer:
The desktop computer, also known as the PC (Personal Computer), is principally intended for
stand-alone use by an individual. These are the most-common type of micro-computers. These
micro-computers typically consist of a system unit, a display monitor, a keyboard, an internal
hard disk storage and other peripheral devices. Some of the major PC manufacturers are APPLE,
IBM, Dell and Hewlett-Packard
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TOPIC: Historical foundations of Computer Science
By: DZEUGANG Placide
b) Laptop:
A laptop is a portable computer that a user can carry around. Since the laptop resembles a
notebook, it is also known as the notebook computer. Laptops are small computers enclosing all
the basic features of a normal desktop computer.
c) Hand-held Computers:
A hand-held computer such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is a portable computer that
can conveniently be stored in a pocket (of sufficient size) and used while the user is holding it.
PDAs are essentially small portable computers and are slightly bigger than the common
calculators. Some examples of hand-held computers are Apple Newton, Casio Cassiopeia and
Franklin eBookMan.
II.
MINICOMPUTERS
A minicomputer (sometimes called a mid-range computer) is designed to meet the computing
needs of several people simultaneously in a small-to medium-sized business environment. It is
capable of supporting from four to about 200 simultaneous users. It serves as a centralized
storehouse for a cluster of workstations or as a network server. Minicomputers are usually multiuser systems so these are used in interactive applications in industries, research organizations,
colleges and universities. Some of the widely used minicomputers are PDP 11, IBM (8000
series) and VAX 7500.
III.
MAINFRAMES
A mainframe is an ultra-high performance computer made for high-volume, processor-intensive
computing. It consists of a high-end computer processor, with related peripheral devices, capable
of supporting large volumes of data processing, high-performance online transaction processing,
and extensive data storage and retrieval. Normally, it is able to process and store more data than
a minicomputer and far more than a microcomputer. Mainframes can usually execute many
programs simultaneously at a high speed, whereas supercomputers are designed for a single
process.
IV.
SUPERCOMPUTERS
Supercomputers are the special-purpose machines, which are especially designed to maximize
the numbers of floating point operations per second (FLOPS). A supercomputer can process a
great deal of data and make extensive calculations very quickly. It can resolve complex
mathematical equations in a few hours, which would have taken many years when performed
using a paper and pencil or using a hand calculator. It is the fastest, costliest and most powerful
computer available today.
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