The Computer Evolution
"Who controls the past commands the future. Who commands the future conquers the past."
-George Orwell
The computer evolution has been an amazing one. There have been astonishing achievements in the computer industry, which dates back almost 2000 years. The earliest existence of the computer dates back to the first century, but the electronic computer has only been around for over a half-century. Throughout the last 40 years computers have changed drastically. They have greatly impacted the American lifestyle. A computer can be found in nearly every business and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). Our Society relies critically on computers for almost all of their daily operations and processes. Only once in a lifetime will a new invention like the computer come about.
The fist computer, known as the abacus, was made of wood and parallel wires on which beads were strung. Arithmetic operations were performed when the beads were moved along the wire according to “programming” rules that had to be memorized by the user (Soma, 14). The second earliest computer, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1694, was a “digital calculating machine.” Pascal designed this first known digital computer to help his father, who was a tax collector. Pascal’s computer could only add numbers, and they had to be entered by turning dials (Soma, 32). It required a manual process like its ancestor, the abacus. Automation was introduced in the early 1800’s by a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage. He created an automatic calculation machine that was steam powered and stored up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Unlike its two earliest ancestors, Babbage’s invention was able to perform various operations. It relied on cards with holes punched in them, which are called “punch cards.” These cards carried out the programming and storing operations for the machine. Unluckily, Babbage’s creation flopped due to the lack of mechanical precision and the lack of demand for the product (Soma, 46). The machine could not operate efficiently because technology was t adequate to make the machine operate efficiently Computer interest dwindled for many years, and it wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that people became interested in them once again.
Between 1850 and 1900, the mathematics and physics fields began advancing. The advancements involved extremely arduous calculations and formulas that took a great deal of time when done manually.
Even though physically sand crabs are tinier than a thumb, female to male ratio lies in the carapace length of 14-35mm female and 10-22 male (The Mole Crab, n.d.). The invertebrate design of the shell helps balance- position the crab and protects the internal structures. The success to sand crab attributed to their gray, heavily armored, curved body, and pointy legs. While other crabs can swim forwards and backwards, sand crabs are only capable of swimming backwards. Giving them the ability to tread water; a characteristic other crustacean does not possess; yet, it poses a crucial importance in the life cycle survival of
The article written by Barton J. Bernstein focuses on the two key reasons that explain Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb. The first was to help America avoid a costly invasion. The other was retaliation for Japan’s conduct during World War I, such as their treatment of the prisoners of war, the Bataan death march on a Philippine island where the Americans surrendered to the Japanese around 1942 and the secret Pearl Harbour attack on the United States. The author mentions that Truman’s administration hoped
The morning of August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan did not begin in any exceptional way; in fact the people had no idea that they were about to be part of one of the most significant mornings in all of history. At 8:15 am, the United States Army Air Forces dropped the first atomic bomb, ironically called, when one considers the enormity of the bomb's significance, the "Little Boy" Three days later the U.S. dropped a second bomb nicknamed the "Fat Man" on the town of Nagasaki, Japan. Historically, the use of the atomic bombs is seen as a decision that the United States made during WWII in order to end the war with Japan. Regardless of the motivation for using the bombs, they left a death toll of 210,000 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This essay will focus on the first bombing in Hiroshima. The bombing of Hiroshima, Japan not only changed the physical and emotional health, and culture of the Japanese people, but also changed the world. The inhumane bombing of Hiroshima had severe short and long term effects on Japan due to the reckless and inconsiderate actions of both President Truman and the United States.
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Computer engineering started about 5,000 years ago in China when they invented the abacus. The abacus is a manual calculator in which you move beads back and forth on rods to add or subtract. Other inventors of simple computers include Blaise Pascal who came up with the arithmetic machine for his father’s work. Also Charles Babbage produced the Analytical Engine, which combined math calculations from one problem and applied it to solve other complex problems. The Analytical Engine is similar to today’s computers.
Born December 26, 1791 in Teignmouth, Devonshire UK, Charles Babbage was known as the “Father of Computing” for his contributions to the basic design of the computer through his Analytical Engine. The Analytical Engine was the earliest expression of an all-purpose, programmable computer. His previous Difference Engine was a special purpose device intended for the production of tables. Both the Difference and Analytical Engines were the earliest direct progenitors of modern computers.
On Monday, August 6, 1945, the United States of America dropped the first ever Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Then, three days later on Thursday, August 9, 1945, the United States dropped a second Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Approximately 110,000 military and civilians were killed. The fortunate ones died instantly while the others died from radiation sickness, burns, infections and malnutrition. (Capio) However, this did not constitute the only casualties caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many more lives were lost due to medical complications and disease such as various forms of cancers that spread throughout the bodies of the survivors and their children caused by the radiation of the Atomic Bombs.
Bellis, M. The History of Computers. Retrieved Mar. 03, 2005, from About.com web site: http://www.inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm.
"The most transforming technological event since the capture of fire." This is the way one expert describes the revolution introduced in this century by computers. Such extravagant interpretations aside, there is no doubt that the acceleration of computer technology has produced enormous changes in all our lives. As late as the 1950s, computers were rarely seen outside university centers. Now, of course, they are everywhere, in classrooms, libraries, offices, stores, factories, research labs, and, increasingly, in our homes.
Over the years, man has come up with countless inventions, each more resourceful than the last. However, as the computer age continues, mankind is threatened. Ridiculous, some may say, but I say look around! The computer has already begun to control so many of the vital functions that man has prided himself upon before. Our lives are now dependent on a computer and what it tells you. Even now, I type this essay on a computer, trusting that it will produce a result far superior to what I can do with my own to hands.
aspect of our lives, we are faced with computers. They are in our classrooms, cars, and even used
Since the beginning of time, humans have thought and made many inventions. Repeatedly the newer one is better than the older. Our minds have created many remarkable things, however the best invention we ever created is the computer. computers are constantly growing and becoming better every day. Every day computers are capable of doing new things. Even though computers have helped us a lot in our daily lives, many jobs have been lost because of it, now the computer can do all of the things a man can do in seconds! Everything in the world relies on computers and if a universal threat happens in which all computers just malfunction then we are doomed. Computers need to be programmed to be able to work or else it would just be a useless chunk of metal. And we humans need tools to be able to live; we program the computer and it could do a lot of necessary functions that have to be done. It is like a mutual effect between us and he computer (s01821169 1).
...n programing. These punched cards are “orders” for the machine or in modern concept, they are software for the hardware machine. However, the machine requires the space as large as a football field and he ended up with only a small model. Thus “Babbage fell from the status of national celebrity to that of a national joke in a matter of a few years, and he died a bitter, unheralded man”. (2) The invention for digital computers then suspended for nearly 100 years.
The history of the computer dates back all the way to the prehistoric times. The first step towards the development of the computer, the abacus, was developed in Babylonia in 500 B.C. and functioned as a simple counting tool. It was not until thousands of years later that the first calculator was produced. In 1623, the first mechanical calculator was invented by Wilhelm Schikard, the “Calculating Clock,” as it was often referred to as, “performed it’s operations by wheels, which worked similar to a car’s odometer” (Evolution, 1). Still, there had not yet been anything invented that could even be characterized as a computer. Finally, in 1625 the slide rule was created becoming “the first analog computer of the modern ages” (Evolution, 1). One of the biggest breakthroughs came from by Blaise Pascal in 1642, who invented a mechanical calculator whose main function was adding and subtracting numbers. Years later, Gottfried Leibnez improved Pascal’s model by allowing it to also perform such operations as multiplying, dividing, taking the square root.
From classroom activities to space flight and everything in between, computers are a vital part of daily life. Everything we do and every aspect of our life is affected by modern technology, like the computers. Computers let us dissect any sort of data. Computers make us reflect, hence we develop. Because of computers and the Internet, we can talk with individuals from diverse nations, and even see them via webcams.