So what is a computer anyway?
Isn't the compounding progress of technology just amazing? Just look where we have been, where we are, and where we are heading. The invention of the silicon microprocessor chip is arguably the greatest advancement of the 20th century. Computers have aided so much progress into the 21st century, and yet they really are not that new. The earliest computers are over 2,000 years old! How can this be? To understand, you have to know what constitutes a computer.
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine a series of eight light switches on a wall. Each switch has 2 positions, on or off. Now imagine all switches are off. Let's call this "zero" or "false". Now let's say you flip one on. Let's call this "one" or "true". How many combinations could you have of on or off switches? Many, right? We could also presumably use these combinations to represent other information. Congratulations, you just made a computer out of lights which is what Paul Revere did when he ordered the lanterns hung in the Old North Church. Paul didn't need our eight switches. He only needed two lanterns to get his warning across all of Boston. You could say he had 2 bits, but if he had eight lanterns, he would then have a byte much like our eight switches. Ok, now imagine you have 16 switches. That's 2 bytes. How many more combinations of on and off switches could you have? What about 8 bytes, 16 bytes, or even 1000 bytes (also known as a kilobyte). Each additional byte adds exponential capacity to our computer.
Using this simple logic, it isn't hard to understand how computers have been made from many different components throughout history. Before electricity, computers were purely mechanical. The earliest example is the Antikythera mechanism from ancient Greece. This computer was used for calculating astronomical events, presumably to track the 4 year cycle of the Olympic games. It is so intricate that the technology used to make it was lost for over a millennium. It wasn't until medieval clock makers perfected their craft that such precision was seen again. Later, successive clock makers started making a different kind of computer, the automata. This computer was more for entertainment, and had a single function. It was a doll that transcribed pre-programmed letters or excerpts of literature onto paper. Perhaps this was just a precursor to the weaving loom which made complex textile patterns by following instructions on punch cards. Punch cards were in turn used to automate other processes as well, most notably the player pianos that are synonymous with western saloons. They even served as the "memory" of early electronic computers that occupied entire floors from the 1950s-1970s.
There is much to be said on mechanical computing, but electronic computers are really the focus of this blog. By the way, if you are wondering, I will not attempt to discuss quantum computers here anytime soon. Just know that due to the weird laws of physics, a quantum bit (qbit) can be both a one and zero at the same time. Only the act of observation will lock a qbit to a one or a zero.
The earliest electronic computer was the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC). ENIAC was developed by the physicist John Mauchly during WWII for the US military. Its purpose was to aid artillery operators and aircraft bomber crews in hitting their targets by running the complex calculations on all the variables that affect the flight path of a projectile. It is estimated that between 1942 and 1955, ENIAC had made more calculations than all those made in human history prior to its invention which is why it is widely considered the beginning of the computer revolution.
Following ENIAC, computers began to become exponentially more powerful. Intel cofounder Gordon Moore correctly predicted in 1965 that computing capacity would double about every 2 years. The space race of the 1960s spurred the development of increasingly smaller and more powerful computers, something made possible by the silicon processor chip. It was also during this time that universities, hospitals, and government organizations began researching and developing computer technology. Coding languages, the Internet's predecessor DARPAnet, computing protocols, email, and the shift from moving computers from the office to the home all began to take form in the 70s and 80s. Today, we have reached the end of Moore's predictions and must find new ways to create more powerful machines. ENIAC filled rooms with vacuum tubes, and yet the cellphone that you may be holding in your hand and using to read this blog right now is thousands of times more powerful. It is amazing indeed!!
Sources/Links of Interest:
Abacus vs. Modern Computer
How Silicon Microprocessor Chips are Made:
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine a series of eight light switches on a wall. Each switch has 2 positions, on or off. Now imagine all switches are off. Let's call this "zero" or "false". Now let's say you flip one on. Let's call this "one" or "true". How many combinations could you have of on or off switches? Many, right? We could also presumably use these combinations to represent other information. Congratulations, you just made a computer out of lights which is what Paul Revere did when he ordered the lanterns hung in the Old North Church. Paul didn't need our eight switches. He only needed two lanterns to get his warning across all of Boston. You could say he had 2 bits, but if he had eight lanterns, he would then have a byte much like our eight switches. Ok, now imagine you have 16 switches. That's 2 bytes. How many more combinations of on and off switches could you have? What about 8 bytes, 16 bytes, or even 1000 bytes (also known as a kilobyte). Each additional byte adds exponential capacity to our computer.
Using this simple logic, it isn't hard to understand how computers have been made from many different components throughout history. Before electricity, computers were purely mechanical. The earliest example is the Antikythera mechanism from ancient Greece. This computer was used for calculating astronomical events, presumably to track the 4 year cycle of the Olympic games. It is so intricate that the technology used to make it was lost for over a millennium. It wasn't until medieval clock makers perfected their craft that such precision was seen again. Later, successive clock makers started making a different kind of computer, the automata. This computer was more for entertainment, and had a single function. It was a doll that transcribed pre-programmed letters or excerpts of literature onto paper. Perhaps this was just a precursor to the weaving loom which made complex textile patterns by following instructions on punch cards. Punch cards were in turn used to automate other processes as well, most notably the player pianos that are synonymous with western saloons. They even served as the "memory" of early electronic computers that occupied entire floors from the 1950s-1970s.
There is much to be said on mechanical computing, but electronic computers are really the focus of this blog. By the way, if you are wondering, I will not attempt to discuss quantum computers here anytime soon. Just know that due to the weird laws of physics, a quantum bit (qbit) can be both a one and zero at the same time. Only the act of observation will lock a qbit to a one or a zero.
The earliest electronic computer was the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC). ENIAC was developed by the physicist John Mauchly during WWII for the US military. Its purpose was to aid artillery operators and aircraft bomber crews in hitting their targets by running the complex calculations on all the variables that affect the flight path of a projectile. It is estimated that between 1942 and 1955, ENIAC had made more calculations than all those made in human history prior to its invention which is why it is widely considered the beginning of the computer revolution.
Following ENIAC, computers began to become exponentially more powerful. Intel cofounder Gordon Moore correctly predicted in 1965 that computing capacity would double about every 2 years. The space race of the 1960s spurred the development of increasingly smaller and more powerful computers, something made possible by the silicon processor chip. It was also during this time that universities, hospitals, and government organizations began researching and developing computer technology. Coding languages, the Internet's predecessor DARPAnet, computing protocols, email, and the shift from moving computers from the office to the home all began to take form in the 70s and 80s. Today, we have reached the end of Moore's predictions and must find new ways to create more powerful machines. ENIAC filled rooms with vacuum tubes, and yet the cellphone that you may be holding in your hand and using to read this blog right now is thousands of times more powerful. It is amazing indeed!!
Sources/Links of Interest:
Abacus vs. Modern Computer
How Silicon Microprocessor Chips are Made:
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