Thursday 23 August 2012

Short history of first computer

 Short history of first computer

                               One of the earliest machines designed to assist people in calculations was the abacus which is still being used some 5000 years after its invention.
In 1642 Blaise Pascal (a famous French mathematician) invented an adding machine based on mechanical gears in which numbers were represented by the cogs on the wheels.
Englishman, Charles Babbage, invented in the 1830's a "Difference Engine" made out of brass and pewter rods and gears, and also designed a further device which he called an "Analytical Engine". His design contained the five key characteristics of modern computers:-
  1. An input device
  2. Storage for numbers waiting to be processed
  3. A processor or number calculator
  4. A unit to control the task and the sequence of its calculations
  5. An output device
Augusta Ada Byron (later Countess of Lovelace) was an associate of Babbage who has become known as the first computer programmer.

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