My first computer

My first computer
Today’s world is often called a computer world and it is truly so. Computer is an electronic device which can carry out a set of instructions. It is difficult to imagine the modern world of high technology without computers. Moreover, it is the fastest growing industry nowadays. Fifty years ago people had no idea what computers are and what they can do. Today, people can’t imagine living a day without them. While the first computer was the size of a minibus, modern devices can fit into a palm. And the computer revolution is still going on.

The first computers were developed during the Second World War to break the codes or send secret information. They were also used to do calculations for the first atom bomb. Today, they are used to store the data, handle banking transactions, manage governmental files, keep statistics etc. Generally, all that computes do is calculate. They turn numbers into pictures, words and sounds. The Japanese have already created the device which responds to human language. Computers have opened a new era in many spheres of life, especially in manufacturing and communication systems.

The word “computer” was first used in 1613 in a book, written by English writer. It referred to a person, who carried out calculations. Soon the first mechanical calculator was invented by Blaise Pascal. However, the actual father of the first recognizable computer was Charles Babbage. In the first half of the 19^th century he created a fully programmable mechanical device. The sophisticated analog computers appeared in the 20^th century. First functional computer was called Z1 and was created by Konrad Zuse.

Today, nearly everything in the world is done with the help of computers. No man alive can do 500,000 sums in one second, whereas computers can. They have a much better memory and faster reaction. Computers have extended the power of the human mind across the existing barriers. Many fields of science are dependent on this device today. For example, medicine is almost impossible without computers. Over the last 50 years all medical information, discoveries and data have been stored there. Moreover, computers play an integral part in diagnostics and treatment.

Although there are two types of computers, analog and digital, only digital type is widely used in every field. Digital computers perform a number of operations at an unbelievable speed. For example, they can handle 2,000 million discrete operations per second. More enhanced computers handle many billions of cycles per second. There have already been several generations of digital computers or processing units.

Computer science is even taught in modern schools. It’s called IT (Information Technology). Children at secondary schools learn how to handle computing machines and store basic information. Besides using computers for IT lessons, schools need this device for test and examination purposes.