История вычислительной техники
- Счеты
- Аналоговые компьютеры
- Цифровые компьютеры
- Электронные компьютеры
- Скорость компьютера
Первые счеты
Вавилонские счеты были разработаны, чтобы сократить время на выполнение вычислений.
Как говорилось в предыдущей главе, мы считаем, что сложный счет изобрели вавилоняне.
В период 2700–2300 гг. до н.э., вероятно, впервые появились счеты, таблица последовательных столбцов, которые определяли порядок 60-значной системы счисления.
Счеты 2.0
Римские счеты использовали 10-значные римские числа, чтобы сократить время на выполнение вычислений:
Изображение: Британская энциклопедия 1911 года (общественное достояние).
Римляне разработали римские счеты, портативную версию счетов с основанием 10, использовавшихся вавилонянами.
Это был первый в мире карманный компьютер. Использовался римскими инженерами, купцами и сборщиками налогов.
Аналоговые компьютеры
The Difference Engine (Charles Babbage 1822) was a mechanical machine designed to Reduce the Time to calculate complex mathematical functions.
The Analytical Engine (Charles Babbage 1833) was a mechanical machine designed with modern computer elements like arithmetic, logic, and memory.
Both these "computers" used 10 digit (decimal) mechanical cogwheels to perform mathematical calculations:
(Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. Science Museum. London)
Digital Computers
Digital Computers use 0/1 switches to perform calculations. They operate on binary values like 11100110 in contrast to analog values like 230.
Try It Yourself:
The first Electric Digital Computer was designed and built by Konrad Zuse in Germany (1941).
It used 2600 electrical relays as 0/1 switches. The clock speed was about 5 Hz.
Replica of the Zuse Z3. Deutsches Museum. Munich.
Electronic Computers
First generation Computers (1945-1950) used vacuum tubes as binary switches.
Vacuum tubes are much faster than electrical relays.
The clock speed of these computers was between 500 KHz and 1 Mhz.
Second Generation Computers
Second generation Computers (1950-1960) used transistors as binary 0/1 switches.
Transistors are much faster than vacuum tubes.
Third Generation Computers
Third generation Computers (1960) used integrated circuits as binary switches.
Integrated circuits are much faster than transistors.
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Computer Speed
The first electrical computer could do 5 instructions per second.
The first electronic computer did 5000 instructions per second.
The first PC did 5 million instructions per second.
AMD was the first PC to reach 1 billion instructions per second.
Today, IPhone 12 can do 11 billion instructions per second.
| Year | Computer | Instructions per Second | Bits per Instruction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Z3 | 5 | 4 |
| 1945 | ENIAC | 5.000 | 8 |
| 1981 | IBM PC | 5.000.000 | 16 |
| 1995 | Intel Pentium PC | 100.000.000 | 32 |
| 2000 | AMD PC | 1.000.000.000 | 64 |
| 2020 | 10.000.000.000 | 128 |
When Did it Start? Where Will it End?
From the history above you can extract:
- Computers were designed to do calculations
- Charles Babbage created the first mechanical computer
- The first digital computers used electromechanical switches
- Vacuum tubes are much faster than electromechanical switches
- Transistors are much faster than vacuum tubes
- Integrated circuits are much faster than transistors
- Tomorrow's computes will be faster than the human brain?
Smarter Than Humans?
If we believe in Moores Law:
In 2020, computers have the capacity of a mouse brain.
In 2030, computers might have the capacity of a human brain:
Source: Ray Kurzweil