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Article on Computer
Course: Digital SignalProcessing (CSE-4203)
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A Brief Article on Computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to perform arithmetic or logical
operations in a predetermined order. Programs are generic collections of operations that
modern computers can do. These programs allow computers to carry out a variety of tasks.
A computer system is a "full" computer that includes the necessary hardware, operating
system (primary software), and peripheral equipment for "full" functioning. This term can
also refer to a connected and cooperating set of computers, such as a computer network or
a computer cluster.
History
The abacus, which was constructed in Sumer between 2700 and 2300 BC, is the earliest
known tool for computation. The Sumerians' abacus was a table with successive columns
that defined the sexagesimal number system's various orders of magnitude. It was first used
by drawing lines in the sand using pebbles. Abacus of a more modern design, such as the
Chinese abacus, are still used as calculation instruments today.
The concept of a programmable computer was invented by Charles Babbage, an English
mechanical engineer and polymath. He is known as the "Father of the Computer" since
he invented the first mechanical computer in the early 1800s.
Charles Babbage is widely considered as one of the original computer pioneers. Babbage
had a vision of mechanically computing numbers and tables in the 1810s. To make this a
reality, Babbage created a calculator that could compute numbers up to 8 decimal places.
Following the success of this concept, Babbage set out to create a machine that could
calculate numbers to 20 decimal places. Babbage devised a concept in the 1830s to create a
machine that could execute arithmetical operations using punched cards. The machine
would keep track of numbers in memory units and use sequential control. This signifies
that one procedure would take place before the other, This indicates that one operation
would be performed before the next in order for the system to generate a response and not
fail. The “Analytical Engine,” as it was dubbed, was the first accurate portrayal of what we
now know as a computer.
Ada Lovelace (Augusta Ada Byron) is considered as a mathematical prodigy and is
hailed as the inventor of computer programming. While Babbage was working on his
"Analytical Engine," the first mechanical computer, Lovelace began working as an