First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes - Multimedia Portal



VUTIYA KEVINF21/1926/2012FEB 116 computer applications assignmentQuestion1.What is a computer? And why is it known as data processor?It is known as a data processor because it can:Accept dataStore data.Process data as desired.Retrieve the stored data whenever need arises.Present results in the best desired format.Question 2.Explain in brief the various generations in computer technology.First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum TubesThe first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms. They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions.First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.Second Generation (1956-1963) TransistorsTransistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors. Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.The first computers of this generation were developed for the atomic energy industry.Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated CircuitsThe development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers.Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.Fourth Generation (1971-Present) MicroprocessorsThe microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. What in the first generation filled an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computer—from the central processing unit and memory to input/output controls—on a single chip.In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond) Artificial IntelligenceFifth generation computing devices, based on artificial intelligence, are still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today. The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology will radically change the face of computers in years to come. The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization.Question 3.Write a short note on the fifth generation of computer. And what makes it different from the fourth generation?Fifth computer generationThe Fifth Generation Computer Systems project(FGCS) was an initiative by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry, begun in 1982, to create a fifth generation computer which was supposed to perform much calculation using massively parallel computing/processing. It was to be the result of a massive government/industry research project in Japan during the 1980s. It aimed to create an "epoch-making computer" with-supercomputer-like performance and to provide a platform for future developments in artificial intelligence.The term "fifth generation" was intended to convey the system as being a leap beyond existing machines. In the history of computing hardware, computers using vacuum tubes were called the first generation; transistors and diodes, the second; integrated circuits, the third; and those using microprocessors, the fourth. Whereas previous computer generations had focused on increasing the number of logic elements in a single CPU, the fifth generation, it was widely believed at the time, would instead turn to massive numbers of CPUs for added performance.How the fifth generation in computer technology differed from the fourth generation:The fifth generation technology , computer are proposed to work automatically without the user’s command unlike the fourth generation puters in the fifth generation can perform calculations using massively using parallel computing.Question 4.The IC and other internal computer components were relatively small in size thus the computer became small. And also the general demand of more portable computers let to this.Question 5.Give notes on the following:Versatility.Refers to the ability of a computer to perform various functions or performances, generally it can be termed as its inherently flexibility and adaptability to a wide variety of tasks.Storage: ?Computers have a very big storage capacity especially in what is commonly referred to as secondary storage. In the event that this space is exhausted then it is easy to expand it.?Slide rule:The slide rule-often nicknamed a "slips tick" is a mechanical analog computer, consisting of calibrated strips, usually a fixed outer pair and a movable inner one, with a sliding window called the cursor. It was the most commonly used calculation tool in science and engineering. Their use began to wane as computers were introduced, starting in the 1950s, and the scientific calculator made them largely obsolete by the early 1970s. Despite their similar appearance, a slide rule serves a purpose different from that of a standard ruler: a ruler measures physical distances and aids in drawing straight lines, while a slide rule performs mathematical operations.Babbage’s analytical engine:The Analytical Engine was a proposed mechanical general-purpose computer designed by English mathematician Charles BabbageIt was first described in 1837 as the successor to Babbage's Difference engine, a design for a mechanical computer. The Analytical Engine incorporated an arithmetic logic unit, control flow in the form of conditional branching and loops, and integrated memory, making it the first design for a general-purpose computer that could be described in modern terms as Turing-complete.Question 6.Distinguish between a microprocessor and a mainframe.A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit(IC), or at most a few integrated circuits.[ It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results as output. It is an example of sequential digital logic, as it has internal memory. Microprocessors operate on numbers and symbols represented in the binary numeral system. While a mainframe is a data processing system employed mainly in large organizations for various applications, including bulk data processing, process control, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing Mainframes use proprietary operating systems, most of which are based on Unix, and a growing number on Linux. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download