The general Concept of Computer Technology

The General Concept of Computer Technology

The word ‘Computer’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘ Compute’ which means to count. In former time, computer was used to manipulate data like words and numbers. So, it was called as a ‘Computing machine’. Presently, a computer has become an electrically powered device through different evolutions of technology. According to the definition made by the Microsoft technologists- “A Computer is an electrically powered device or set of devices which works under the control of a stored program automatically accepting and processing data with minimum human intervention to produce results. Hence, a computer is automatic, re-programmable and a data processor to store information’. That is to say, the following concepts may be accepted apropos the definition of computer. • Literally, the term computer means equipment that can compute. • The computer is a combination of electronic devices used to process data. • In the computer all types of data is converted to numbers. The computer can only work with numbers, not letters, sounds or pictures. All forms of data are converted to numbers for processing. • Computers can receive, analyze, store information and produce reports. • Computers are useful for accurate and fast processing of accounts. • A computer is an electrically powered device. • It works under the control of a stored program. • It accepts data, analyzes data, preserves data and displays them in the form of result. • It completes work related to accounts very speedily and correctly • It works out complex mathematical problems • It analyzes data and displays results by the representation of charts and graphs. Brief History of Computer: • On about 3000 BC ‘Abacus’ was invented in China which was the earliest calculator. It was used for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. • On the 17th century a number of instruments were invented which could be used as calculator. • On the 18th century a French scientist named Jacquard, invented an automated loom that could receive designs from punched cards. • At a certain step of perpetual research, came Charles Babbage with unique ideas. He is often called the father of modern computers. He invented ‘Differential Engine’ on 1812. • He performed fast calculations with this machine. On 1833 he planned to make a ‘Analytical Engine’. This research did not go far due to hindrance of promised fund by the Royal Society of England. • Later Lady Ada Augusta invented a number of techniques, which utilized the concept of the Analytical Engine. She was the daughter of the English poet Lord Byron and a close friend of Babbage. She invented the techniques required to solve mathematical problems, step by step. This is why she is considered as the first computer programmer in the world. • On 1944, A machine called ‘Mark-1’ was built under the supervision Professor Howard Eken of Harvard University of USA. This machine was 51 feet wide, 8 feet high. It had 5000 miles of electric cable and combination 7.5 lakh electronic parts. Though a dinosaur among today’s neat compact computers, this was the first computer of the first computer-age (1944-50). • The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) was built in the University of Pennsylvania on 1946; it consisted of almost eighteen thousand valves. It was made for the Ministry of Defense. In 1948 transistors were introduced, which ultimately replaced the valves. Transistors are miniature electronic switches that functions the same as the electronic valves and then some. 1958 saw the introduction of Integrated Circuits, popularly known as IC, which made the huge availability of computers today possible. • Then came Gordon Moore on 1971 with his revolutionary invention of microprocessors. • After the microprocessors, the progress was fast. IBM of USA introduced Microcomputers, which is now popularly known as PC or Personal Computer. In view of the above, it is evident that the Computer is a wonderful contribution of Modern Science. In a nutshell, it is an electrically powered device or a set of devices which work on the basis of a stored program. The computer is such machine which automatically accepts data, process data and finally it controls data to produce information. The speed of data processing depends on how powerful the processor is. Currently a processor with speed above 500 MHz is available in the market. The latest magic in the computer world today is the Internet; virtually the whole world can be reached through this little box with an Internet connection. We conclude, on the note that the computer has become an inseparable part of the modern civilization.

The Future of Computer Technology 

 the past twenty years, there has been a dramatic increase in the processing speed of computers, network capacity and the speed of the internet. These advances have paved the way for the revolution of fields such as quantum physics, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology. These advances will have a profound effect on the way we live and work, the virtual reality we see in movies like the Matrix, may actually come true in the next decade or so.

NANOCOMPUTERS

Scientists are trying to use nanotechnology to make very tiny chips, electrical conductors and logic gates. Using nanotechnology, chips can be built up one atom at a time and hence there would be no wastage of space, enabling much smaller devices to be built. Using this technology, logic gates will be composed of just a few atoms and electrical conductors (called nanowires) will be merely an atom thick and a data bit will be represented by the presence or absence of an electron.

A component of nanotechnology, nanocomputing will give rise to four types of nanocomputers:

• Electronic nanocomputers
• Chemical and Biochemical nanocomputers
• Mechanical nanocomputers
• Quantum nanocomputers

Electronic nanocomputers
Eletronic nanocomputers are created through microscopic circuits using nanolithography. [Nanocomputers]

Chemical and Biochemical nanocomputers

The interaction between different chemicals and their structures is used to store and process information in chemical nanocomputers. In order to create a chemical nanocomputer, engineers need to be able to control individual atoms and molecules so that these atoms and molecules can be made to perform controllable calculations and data storage tasks.

Mechanical nanocomputers

A mechanical nanocomputer uses tiny mobile components called nanogears to encode information. Some scientists predict that such mechanical nanocomputers will be used to control nanorobots.

Quantum nanocomputers

A quantum nanocomputer store data in the form of atomic quantum states or spin. Single-electron memory (SEM) and quantum dots are examples of this type of technology.

Humanizing Nanocomputers

Apart from this, scientists aim to use nanotechnology to create nanorobotsthat will serve as antibodies that can be programmed. This will help to protect humans against pathogenic bacteria and viruses that keep mutating rendering many remedies ineffective against new strains. Nanorobots would overcome this problem by reprogramming selectively to destroy the new pathogens. Nanorobots are predicted to be part of the future of human medicine.

 

 

• SPRAY-ON NANO COMPUTERS

Consider that research is being done at the Ediburgh University to create "spray-on computers the size of a grain of sand” that will transform information technology. The research team aims to achieve this goal within four years.
When these nanocomputers are sprayed on to the chests of coronary patients, the tiny cells record a patient’s health and transmit information back to a hospital computer. This would enable doctors to monitor heart patients who are living at home.

QUANTUM COMPUTERS

A quantum computer uses quantum mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement and superposition to process data. Quantum computation aims to use the quantum properties of particles to represent and structure data. Quantum mechanics is used to understand how to perform operations with this data. The quantum mechanical properties of atoms or nuclei allow these particles to work together as quantum bits, or qubits. These qubits work together to form the computer's processor and memory. Qubits can interact with each other while being isolated from the external environment and this enables them to perform certain calculations much faster than conventional computers.

By computing many different numbers simultaneously and then interfering the results to get a single answer, a quantum computer can perform a large number of operations in parallel and ends up being much more powerful than a digital computer of the same size.
"In the tiny spaces inside atoms, the ordinary rules of reality ... no longer hold. Defying all common sense, a single particle can be in two places at the same time. And so, while a switch in a conventional computer can be either on or off, representing 1 or 0, a quantum switch can paradoxically be in both states at the same time, saying 1 and 0.... Therein lies the source of the power." Whereas three ordinary switches could store any one of eight patterns, three quantum switches can hold all eight at once, taking "a shortcut through time." [Scientific America.com]

Quantum computers could prove to be useful for running simulations of quantum mechanics. This would benefit the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, biology and medicine because currently, advancement in these fields is limited by the slow speed of quantum mechanical simulations.

Quantum computing is ideal for tasks such as cryptography, modeling and indexing very large databases. Many government and military funding agencies are supporting quantum computing research to develop quantum computers for civilian and national security purposes, such as cryptanalysis.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The term “Artificial Intelligence” was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a branch of computer science that aims to make computers behave like humans. [Artificial Intelligence] Artificial Intelligence includes programming computers to make decisions in real life situations (e.g. some of these “expert systems” help physicians in the diagnosis of diseases based on symptoms), programming computers to understand human languages (natural language), programming computers to play games such as chess and checkers (games playing), programming computers to hear, see and react to other sensory stimuli(robotics) and designing systems that mimic human intelligence by attempting to reproduce the types of physical connections between neurones in the human brain (neural networks).

Natural-language processing would allow ordinary people who don’t have any knowledge of programming languages to interact with computers.

So what does the future of computer technology look like after these developments?

Through nanotechnology, computing devices are becoming progressively smaller and more powerful. Everyday devices with embedded technology and connectivity are becoming a reality. Nanotechnology has led to the creation of increasingly smaller and faster computers that can be embedded into small devices.

This has led to the idea of pervasive computing which aims to integrate software and hardware into all man made and some natural products. It is predicted that almost any items such as clothing, tools, appliances, cars, homes, coffee mugs and the human body will be imbedded with chips that will connect the device to an infinite network of other devices. [Pervasive Computing]
Hence, in the future network technologies will be combined with wireless computing, voice recognition, Internet capability and artificial intelligence with an aim to create an environment where the connectivity of devices is embedded in such a way that the connectivity is not inconvenient or outwardly visible and is always available. In this way, computer technology will saturate almost every facet of our life. What seems like virtual reality at the moment will become the human reality in the future of computer technology.