As early as the seventeenth century,

mathematicians were trying to create a machine that could perform basic mathematical functions such as, addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.

1804 British inventor, Charles Babbage, designed an all-purpose problem-solving machine, the difference engine, which had a mechanical memory to store the results of calculations .

Generation of ComputerFirst Generation

1940-1956 : Vacuum

Tubes The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnet i c dr ums for

memor y, and were often

enormous, taking up entire rooms .

The UNIVAC and ENIAC

computers are first-generation computing devices .

Second Generation - 1956-1963 : Transistors

Transistors replaced vacuum tubes an

d ushered in the second ge neration of computers. The

transistor was invented in1947 but did not se

e widespread use in compu ters until the late 50s.

* smaller,faster and cheaper.

Third Generation - 1964-1971 : Integrated Circuits The development of the

integrated circuit was the

hallmark of the third generation of computers .Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips,

called semiconductors, which

drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers. First Integrated Circuit

Fourth Generation - 1971-Present : Microprocessors The microprocessor

brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a

single silicon chip.

Fifth Generation of Computer

Fifth generation computing devices, based on artificial intelligence, are still in development, though there are some applications , such a

s voice recognition , that are b

eing used today.