Computers are the crystallization of human wisdom and an indispensable tool for modern society. The development of computers has gone through several important stages, and each change represents a major breakthrough in computer technology.
Phase 1: The Age of Mechanical Computers (1623-1945)
Computers at this stage are mainly composed of mechanical parts, such as gears, levers, pulleys, etc. The first mechanical computer was built in 1623 by the German astronomer Chickkad, which could do addition and subtraction.
Mechanical computers have limited computing speed and accuracy, are bulky, and are difficult to maintain. Therefore, mechanical computers can only be used in specific fields.
Magnum opus:
- Abacus: Invented in ancient China, it can perform operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
abacus
- Difference Machine: Designed by British mathematician Charles Babbage, it can perform complex mathematical operations.
1/7 of the finished product of Difference Machine No. 1
Phase II: The Age of Tube Computers (1945-1955)
Computers at this stage were mainly made up of tubes. The speed and accuracy of the tube computer are much higher than that of the mechanical computer, but it is bulky and consumes a lot of power.
vacuum tube
The advent of the tube computer marked the beginning of the modern computer age.
Magnum opus:
- ENIAC: The first tube computer manufactured by the University of Pennsylvania in the United States during World War II.
ENIAC
- EDVAC: An improved version of ENIAC, the world's first stored program computer.
EDVAC
Phase 3: The Age of Transistor Computers (1955-1970)
Computers at this stage were mainly composed of transistors. Transistor computers are much smaller in size and power consumption than tube computers, making them easier to popularize.
transistor
The advent of transistor computers marked the beginning of the era of miniaturization.
Magnum opus:
- IBM 360 series: A family of transistor computers introduced by IBM in the United States in the 1960s.
IBM 360
Stage 4: The Age of Integrated Circuit Computers (1970-present)
Computers at this stage are mainly composed of integrated circuits. The size and power consumption of integrated circuit computers have been further reduced, and the computing speed and accuracy have been further improved.
An integrated circuit chip used to control an LCD
The emergence of integrated circuit computers marks that computers have entered the era of miniaturization.
Magnum opus:
- Apple II: The first personal computer introduced by Apple in the United States in 1977.
Apple II
- IBM PC: A personal computer introduced by IBM in the United States in 1981.
IBM PC model 5150
The development trend of computers
The development trend of computers can be summarized as follows:
- Smaller and smaller sizes, lower power consumption
- The speed and precision of the calculations are getting higher and higher
- More and more powerful and widely used
In recent years, in addition to the steady development of traditional binary computers, the emerging quantum computer has also developed rapidly and gradually become commercialized. Compared with traditional binary computers, quantum computers have gradually become the focus of attention of the scientific community and industry due to their powerful computing power and potential application prospects, and people are full of expectations and longing for the future.
IBM Q
The impact of computers on human society
Computers have had a profound impact on human society, mainly in the following aspects:
- Changed the way humans work
- It has changed the way of life of human beings
- It has promoted the scientific and technological progress of mankind
The advent of computers has enabled human beings to process information and complete work more efficiently, and has brought more convenience to human life. Computers have also promoted the development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, which will bring more changes to human society. In recent years, with the deepening of the design and manufacturing of the complete computer system (from hardware, architecture, operating system to platform and application) in China, the use of domestic computers in all walks of life has been expanding.
Note: This article was created by me and AI, and the picture comes from the Internet.
Domestic Loongson computer