The History of Computing Flashcards
What are the two types of computing machines?
Mechanical (old)
Electronic (new)
What did Babbage design?
Difference Engines
Analytical Engines
What was a difference engine?
It was intended for calculating navigation tables for ships, but were terrible and lead to ships being wrecked.
What were the 4 parts to an Analytical Engine?
Programmable computing device with: a STORE for holding numbers a MILL for working on them a CONTROL section a PUNCHED CARD I/O SYSTEM
What was Note G?
Lovelace described how Bernoulli Numbers could be calculated using the +, −, × and / operations of the Analytical Engine, but she realised the Engine could manipulate symbols
What are the electronic machine generations dates?
First (1950-1959) Second (1960-1968) Third (1969-1977) Fourth (1978-2009) Fifth (2010-present)
What was the central technology for the FIRST GENERATION?
VACUUM TUBE
What was the central technology for the SECOND GENERATION?
TRANSISTOR for logic circuitry
What was the central technology for the THIRD GENERATION?
Integrated circuit
What was the central technology for the FOURTH GENERATION?
Microprocessor
What was the central technology for the FIFTH GENERATION?
System on a Chip (SoC)
What is the Wheel of Reincarnation?
Originally concerned computer graphics
Old technologies that come back into the present.
What was an example of a first generation computer and what did it mark?
UNIVAC marked a shift to computing for private corporations from the military. Commercial data processing.
What was an example of a second generation computer and what did it mark?
IBM System 360 marked the separation of architecture from implementation, and a range of models.
What was an example of a third generation computer and what did it mark?
The Cray-1 marked the advent of the commercial supercomputer, fastest supercomputer in the world.
