Computer Origins
Y
ou can probably use a computer. In fact, you probably use one every day and you might be reading this on one! But can you say what a computer’s basic function is? Well, a computer takes input from the user and produces output. This means you tell the computer what to do by giving it commands, and the computer does it. The first computer wasn’t exactly a computer, as we know it. It helped to do calculations and was called an abacus. Nobody really knows who invented the abacus, but it was probably the Chinese during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
Do you know what an abacus is? It’s a simple device that solves mathematical problems—it can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Do you have one at school? The computer really began in 1833 with a man named Charles Babbage. He never made a computer, but his Analytical Engine used a lot of the parts that modern computers use, such as a memory and a processor. It wasn’t until many years later that the first computer was actually made.
Numbers from Babbage’s Analytical Engine
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A Short Timeline of Computers 1936 The first computer
1953 IBM (International Business Machines) make their first computer
1958 The first computer chip
1963 Douglas Engelbart invents the mouse
1969 The first Internet— called ARPANET—is invented
1975 Bill Gates starts Microsoft
1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak start Apple
1981 1985
The first personal computer is introduced by IBM
Microsoft announces Windows
1991 The first laptop and the Internet
1996 Google begins
1999 2004
Wi-Fi is invented, so computers can connect to the Internet without wires
Facebook launches
2005 YouTube starts
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Computers in Daily Life Computers are an important part of our lives. Computers are in schools, shops, banks, hospitals, and most places you can think of! We use computers to do everything. You can order food from the supermarket, you can read books online, you can chat with friends in real time, you can watch movies and listen to music on them, you can play games—modern life would be impossible without them!
There is also a large impact on the environment. When you throw away a computer, it releases chemicals that are harmful for humans, like lead and mercury. These chemicals can contaminate the water supply. This affects plants and animals. Lead can cause radiation disease. Mercury can cause cancer. Computers also use a lot of energy, which has an effect on the environment.
Computers have lots of benefits, but there are also a lot of disadvantages. One of the big disadvantages is the effect on your health. Using a computer can effect your arms, your back, and of course, your eyes. There is also addiction—when someone becomes obsessed with their computer or smartphone.
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Computers: Now and Then The main difference between computers in the past and computers today is the size. Computers in the past were enormous. Compare the photo of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) from 1946 with a modern laptop. The ENIAC had 6,000 switches and 18,000 tubes and cabinets. It took up a whole room and it weighed 30 tons! Imagine having an ENIAC in your bedroom! Now, computers are really slim and really light. Why did computers get smaller? Scientists and engineers know more about electronics now. The microchip replaced the large parts in old computers. And electricity moves between these microchips very quickly.
Microchips helped computers get smaller and smaller!
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ll i w s r e t mpu o c w o e. r H u t u f e n th i e g n a ch
Virtual Reality Virtual reality headsets are going to become more popular in the future. They will change how we look at the world. Virtual reality headsets are for games at the moment, but people will probably use them in tourism, making movies, medicine, and architecture in the future. Want to visit Mars? With virtual reality you can!
Augmented Reality Augmented reality is similar to virtual reality. It creates a digital world on top of the real world (virtual reality creates a different world). This means that you can fight zombies in your living room, or follow a guide to repair your bike. Unfortunately, headsets are not available for augmented reality yet. 80 Computer Crazy!
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Flexible Tablets This idea has been around for some time—tablets made from the same material as a mouse pad!
Percepetual Computing Perceptual computing is when you control a computer with your senses. So, you don’t use a keyboard, you use your hands and eyes. This means you can use your eyes to pause a video you are watching on your laptop, for example. Imagine thinking about doing your homework, and then your computer does it for you! Imagine going to a website just by thinking about the topic. This all seems like science fiction, but in the future your computer will probably know you better than you know yourself.
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Worksheet 10 Computer Crazy! 1 Label the pictures.
2 Complete the sentences with information from the text. 1. In the past, an
helped people do calculations.
2. Douglas Engelbart invented the
.
3. When someone becomes obsessed with his or her computer, it is called an . 4.
can cause cancer.
5. Computers in the past were 6. The
.
replaced the large parts in old computers.
7. Perceptual computing is when you control a computer with your and
.
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3 Write three things you already knew, and three things you learned from the text. Things I already knew 1. 2. 3.
Things I learned 1. 2. 3.
4 What technology do you think will exist in 50 years time? Brainstorm
Illustrate your vision
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