worksheets - Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Level IV Lesson 1
WORKSHEETS
9. Format the following document choosing a font type and colour. One
of the paragraphs is done for you.
History of Computers
Since stone age people needed to count
and calculate. Stone age men used stones for
simple counting and calculations. The abacus
was invented as an early aid for mathematical
calculations. It was made of strings and
beads. Using these beads people performed calculations. Many
mechanical devices were later invented to help us in calculations. In a present
times, computers are used to perform complex calculations.
The history of modern computers dates back to 1945. The present day
computer has crossed more than 3 generations. The classification of generations
has been done based on technology, speed, storage, reliability and cost.
The first generation computers used vacuum tubes. They were
named ‘Eniac’, ‘Edvac’, and ‘Univac’. They were enormous (taking up
entire rooms), very expensive to operate and used a great deal of
electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of
malfunctions.
In the second generation of computers, transistors
replaced the vacuum tubes. The transistor was far superior
to the vacuum tube. Computers became smaller, faster,
cheaper, more energy-efficient and reliable. But still it
generated a lot of heat which often damaged the computer.
The invention of integrated circuits ushered in the next generation of
computers. With the developments in the integrated circuits, large number
components could be fit into a small chip. A microprocessor is a single integrated
circuit which incorporates most or all of the functions of a central processing unit
(CPU). These developments reduced the size and
price of the computers at the same time increasing
power, efficiency and reliability. The computers in
the latest generation are the Desktop, Notebook
or Laptop, Palmtop, Server, Mainframe and Super
Computer.
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