Touchpad Play Ver 2.0 Class 5: Windows 10 & MS Office 2016

By Team Orange

In the modern era, we are dependent on technology for almost every aspect of our lives. Computers are a major part of this technology assisted life, as we have now developed ways to do most of the essential tasks on a computer. Computer science is no longer limited to theories and lectures, it has now become an important part of our lives.

Touchp

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orange Education Pvt Ltd.
• Release date: Jun 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9789395141871

Book preview

01 EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS

Dear Students! You have learnt about computers in your previous class.

Computer is a familiar word for you today. But have you ever thought ‘Who invented the computer?’ This machine is an outcome of labour of a number of minds. No particular person can be credited with the invention of computers, but several names stand out in the crowd.

early counting tools

Since ancient times, people have invented tools for calculations. Early man tied knots in a rope and carved marks on clay in order to keep the records. They also used to count with the help of fingers, toes, pebbles, stones, sticks, bones, etc.

abacus— first calculating device

Abacus

The first step towards computing was the invention of Abacus around 3000 years ago, in China. It is a wooden frame with beads on parallel wires which can do simple calculations like addition and subtraction. This device is used to calculate numbers at a fast speed.

Pascaline Adding Machine

Pascaline

Blaise Pascal

In 1642, a mathematician, Blaise Pascal invented the calculating machine called the Pascaline adding machine. The numbers were fed into the machine by dialing them on the wheels. This device is believed to be the first mechanical calculator of the world. This machine was capable of performing only addition and subtraction.

Leibniz step reckoner

Leibniz Step Reckoner

In 1672, a mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz invented the digital mechanical calculator called ‘Step Reckoner’. It was the first calculator that could perform all four arithmetic operations i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

charles babbage’s analytical engine

Charles Babbage

In 1822 a mathematician, Charles Babbage developed a steam driven calculating machine, that was the size of a room, which he called the Difference Engine. But even after working on this project for 10 years, this machine never became a reality.

Analytical Engine

In 1833, he invented a machine called the Analytical Engine, the first ever working model of a mechanical computer, a fully program controlled machine. This is why Charles Babbage is known as the ‘father of computers’.

Lady Ada Lovelace’s Programs

Lady Ada Lovelace

The instructions given to Babbage’s Analytical Engine were in the form of 0’s and 1’s and the first person to introduce this concept was Lady Ada Lovelace. Since she was the first to introduce the concept of programming, she is known as the first computer programmer.

Herman Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine

Herman Hollerith, an army engineer, built a machine called the Tabulating Machine in 1890. The machine read and stored data from punched cards. After the success of this machine, Hollerith formed a Computing Tabulating Recording Company to sell his machine. Later in 1924, his company became a part of International Business Machines Corporation, today popularly known as IBM.

Computer Generations

After these early calculating machines, the present computer took its shape in five generations.

First Generation (1940s)

There were many computers that were a part of first generation computers.

MARK-I (The First Electro-Mechanical Powered Computer)

Mark-I

In 1944, Prof. Howard Aikens built the first electro-mechanical computer named Mark-I. It used punched cards and a typewriter for input and output. Mark-I was much more reliable than early electronic computers.

ENIAC— The First Electronic Computer

Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer, was the first electronic general purpose digital computer built in 1946 by John Mauchly and Presper Eckert. It contained over 18,000 vacuum tubes and was 1000 times faster than Mark-I. ENIAC consumed almost 200 kw of power.

UNIVAC

UNIVAC

UNIVAC or Universal Automatic Computer, was another successful invention of John Mauchly and Presper Eckert in 1951, which could handle both numeric and textual information.

The UNIVAC had 5200 vacuum tubes.

Vacuum tube

Features of First Generation Computer

★ Huge in size.

★ Very expensive.

★ Made up of vacuum tubes.

Second Generation (1950s)

Magnetic tape

After 1955, use of transistors and magnetic tapes changed the image of the electronic computer.

During this period, the major computer manufacturers began to offer a range of accessories such as: Page Printers, Cathode Ray-Tube display, Card Feeders, etc.

Features of Second Generation Computer

Transistor

★ Made up of transistors.

★ Magnetic tapes were used to store data.

★ Small in size and less expensive than the first generation computer.

★ Faster and reliable.

Third Generation (1960s)

Integrated Circuits

In the third generation, the invention of Integrated Circuits (IC) led to smaller-sized computers with better functioning and more storage.

Features of Third Generation Computer

★ These computers were made of ICs.

★ The use of the ICs reduced the size and increased the speed of the computers.

★ They were more affordable and dependable.

Fourth Generation (1970s)

Microprocessor