Page 8 - Computer Class 04
P. 8
The name computer as you know comes from the word compute which
means to calculate. So, earliest computers were just calculating devices.
As the human race evolved, so developed their social and commercial
activities and with these developments was felt the need of some
calculating devices.
Let us read about how computers have developed over time with it.
Abacus
The earliest calculating device is accounted to
be the abacus . It was invented by the
Babylonians in around 500 BC.
An abacus consisted of a wooden frame, rods
and beads. Each rod represented a different
place value – ones, tens, hundreds, thousands
and so on.
Addition and subtraction could easily be
performed by moving beads along the rods of
the abacus. Abacus
Special abacues have been developed and are used by the blind children to
learn addition, subtraction and multiplication.
Napier’s Rods
The second calculating machine was
Napier’s Rods . It was also known as
Napier’s Bones.
It was invented by John Napier, a
Mathematician from Scotland, in 1617.
Napier’s Rods
It could do addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division. This method was based upon manipulation of rods with printed
digits. The rods were made of bone, ivory, wood or metal.
Computer-4 8 Computer-1