Module 2 Flashcards
A modern computer is
an electronic device that can follow instructions, written in programs, to manipulate data.
four functions that define modern computers,
(input, process, output, storage)
The abacus, also called a counting frame
is a calculating tool used primarily in parts of Asia for performing arithmetic processes.
The device was first used in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) in 2700-2300 BC.
Antikythera mechanism
is an ancient mechanical computer designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1900–1901 from the Antikythera shipwreck off the coast of Greece. I
made around 150-100 BC making the mechanism the oldest known complex scientific calculator
slide rule
mechanical analog computer
The Jacquard loom
is a mechanical loom
controlled by punched cards with punched holes,
Difference Engine
Created by Charles Babbage 1822 - used the decimal number system and was powered by a handle. - never finished
Difference Engine 2
Used punch cards to store pre written programs -
Created bu Science museum 1989 -91 to celebrate Babbages idea - In 2000 the printer from Babbage’s design was completed
electromechanics
the combinations of the sciences of electromagnetism, of electrical engineering and mechanics.
relays
Many of the first electromagnetic computers used relaus to perform calculations and to provide output.
A relay, therefore, acts as a switch to enable the passage of electrical current to other relays or to an output, such as a light.
Z3
designed by and completed in 1941 by Konrad Zuse in Berlin.
an example of an electromechanical computer.
built with 2,000 relays with program codes and data being stored on punched film.
Mark I
Another example of electromagnetic computers
Howard Aiken’s quickly obsoleted electromechanical calculator
built between 1937 and 1945
conditional branching
is where a sequence of programming code is executed at a branching point only when certain conditions are either true or false.
For example, a computer can be programmed to perform a calculation when a prior calculation returns a value than meets a specific criterion.
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)
John Mauchly and John Presper Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania, was the world’s first general-purpose electronic digital computer.
The project was a response to U.S. wartime needs
weighting 30 tons, occupying 15,000 square feet of floor
space, and containing more than 18,000 vacuum tubes
capable of 5000 additions per second.
vacuum tubes
Vacuum tube diode: electrons from the
hot cathode flow towards positive anode, but
not vice versa
EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer).
stored-program concept -
the first publication of the idea was in a 1945 proposal by von Neumann for a new computer, the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer).
In
IAS computer
Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies. The IAS computer, although not completed until 1952, is the prototype of all subsequent general-purpose computers.
UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer)
was commissioned by the Bureau of the Census for the 1950 calculations.
upward compatible
new machines compatible with the older machines.
International Business Machines (IBM),
which was then the major manufacturer of punched-card processing equipment, delivered its first electronic stored-program computer, the 701, in 1953.
Second Generation - Transistors
replacement of the vacuum tube by the transistor.
smaller, cheaper and dissipates less heat than a vacuum tube, but can be used in the same way as a vacuum tube to construct computers.
used to amplify and switch electronic signals and is built as solid-state devices, being constructed entirely from solid materials (such as silicon) in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material.
use of the transistor
defines the second generation of computers and remains as a fundamental building block of modern electronic devices
discrete component
A single, self-contained transistor
integrated circuit (IC)
IC is an electronic circuit usually constructed of a semiconductor material such as silicon that has both the electronic components and their interconnections etched or imprinted upon it
IC defines the third generation of computers
Large-scale integration (LSI - Fourth Generation micoprocessors
could fit hundreds of components onto one chip (of silicon).
very large-scale integration (VLSI)
squeezed hundreds of thousands of components onto a chip.
Ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI)
increased that number into the millions.
Moore’s law
describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware: the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years.
(RAM)
Computer memory
Artificial Intelligence - 5th generation
are in development - although applications like voice recognition are already inuse today
parallel processing
the ability to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously) is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality.
goal of fifth-generation computing
develop devices that respond to natural language input (i.e. spoken English, etc.) and are capable of learning and self-organization.
supercomputer
goal of a supercomputer is to solve scientific and engineering problems as fast as possible. Such a computer typically has thousands of processors capable of performing upwards of trillions of instructions per second (and beyond!)
worldwide weather reports and performing large-scale simulations
FLOPS
speed of a supercomputer is measured
mainframe
performance is measured in millions of instructions per second (MIPS).
commonly used to provide large numbers of people access to computer resources. These can be found in large institutions such as hospitals, airline reservations companies, and larger companies
minicomputer
class of multi-user computers and is positioned between the largest multi-user computer (mainframe) and the smallest single-user systems (microcomputer) in terms of size.
preferred by the smaller businesses, colleges, and so on.
Microcomputers
have a memory to meet the assignments of students and necessary tasks of businesspeople. There are many types of microcomputers: desktop, workstation, laptop, etc. The term “micro” was common in the 1970’s and 1980’s however has largely been replaced with personal computer.
personal computer
any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator
microprocessor
a single chip with all the circuitry that formerly occupied large cabinets, led to the proliferation of personal computers after about 1975.
Workstations
characterized by high-performance processors and graphics displays, with large local disk storage, networking capability, and running under a multitasking operating system.
Single unit PCs (also known as all-in-one PCs
subtype of desktop computers, which combine the monitor and case of the computer within a single unit
laptop
also called a notebook computer or sometimes a notebook, is a small personal computer designed for mobility
Desktop replacements
large laptops meant to replace a desktop computer while keeping the mobility of a laptop.
tablet PC
notebook or slate-shaped mobile computer, first introduced by Pen computing in the early 90s with their PenGo Tablet Computer. Its touchscreen or graphics tablet/screen hybrid technology allows the user to operate the computer with a stylus or digital pen, or a fingertip, instead of a keyboard or mouse.
