Which Invention Allowed Computers To Become Smaller In Size?
In this post, we’ll talk about Which Invention Allowed Computers To Become Smaller In Size? Over time, computers have shrunk ever-increasingly. Numerous businesses have created numerous technologies that have enabled the production of smaller computers.
Early computers were large, heavy, and required to have their casings sealed to keep out dust and other exterior pollutants, which made them very expensive. Charles Babbage created the first computer in the late 19th century.
Although he never completed his invention, his ideas and plans became the basis for “the Analytical Engine,” the world’s first operational mechanical computer.
Which Invention Allowed Computers To Become Smaller In Size?
Thanks to the development of the transistor, the Integrated Circuit (IC), the microprocessor, the Turing Machine, and Computing Theory due to which Computers have become significantly smaller over time.
Inventions That Allowed Computers To Be Smaller
The transistor, created in 1947 by Bell Labs engineers John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, would eventually transform computing by displacing the vacuum tube to switch electrical signals.
Electronic signals and power can be amplified or switched using transistors, which are semiconductor devices.
“Electron flow” is the underlying basis of transistor operation. This implies that electrons are manipulated and controlled to produce a binary output. Before the invention of the transistor, all computers used analog processes.
A system that makes use of continuous variables is an analog computer. Signals are conveyed in an analog computer by connecting and unplugging discrete components called resistors and capacitors.
Computers could be created using only discrete values and transitions because of this technology. Because of transistor technology, it was feasible to create more compact, quick, and powerful computers.
In the 1950s, they took over as the primary component of computers, replacing the electromechanical relay. The size of computers could be decreased because of this chip, which completely altered how they were constructed. Businesses in second-generation computers first used transistors.
The Integrated Circuit (IC)
Ted Hoff created the integrated circuit in 1958, which would completely alter computers. Before the invention of the integrated circuit, an electronic computer was built using discrete transistors, a clock, and an integrated circuit.
A larger system than what was built on a chip of silicon would then be created by a computer employing a circuit made of discrete components and a clock.
Complicating matters further, the vacuum tubes used in those era’s computers were vulnerable to radiation damage. The integrated circuit, in a nutshell, altered everything.
Thanks to integrated circuits, Computers may now be considerably smaller and faster than ever. Additionally, it made computer design considerably simpler.
The size of transistors, which is the same as the pins on a microprocessor, made it much easier to construct a computer.
The Microprocessor
Intel introduced the first commercial microprocessor in 1971. The microprocessor functions on the same “electron flow” theory as the transistor, only that a switch controls the electrons this time.
The simplest and most fundamental component of a computer is a microprocessor. The microprocessor made computers quicker and smaller.
For some of its primary duties, the microprocessor nevertheless continued to rely on the integrated circuit. It condenses all the electronics required to run a computer into a single chip.
For instance, the microprocessor doesn’t produce memory on its own. As an alternative, it makes use of the integrated circuit’s memory.
A computer is only genuinely “small,” thanks to its CPU. Microprocessors are found in modern smartphones and laptops.
Turing Machine And Computing Theory
British mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing developed the Turing Machine in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This paradigm is used to describe contemporary computers.
A finite number of “states” make up the Turing Machine, which is connected by “”transitions”” that determine which “states” the Turing Machine will be in next.
Turing wrote a paper in 1952 that provided the theoretical framework for contemporary computers.
Turing was crucial to the development of computer science theory. Turing published a groundbreaking essay titled “”Computing Machinery and Intelligence”” in 1950.
Turing’s article, which put out the concept of a finite set of instructions for a computer, was revolutionary for the field of computing.
In this essay, Turing made an effort to respond to the question: “”What does a computer’s internal state look like if it can produce a specific type of output given a specific set of inputs?”” What is an equation’s computer equivalent, in other words? Turing proposed that a computer is a finite-state Turing machine.
Turing pioneered computer science and computing theory, much like Babbage. The process of “What does the world look like if we have a computer?” is known as computing theory. When creating computers, computer scientists aim to provide answers to these issues.
Babbage’s Difference Engine
Charles Babbage, a mathematician and early computer pioneer, created the Difference Engine, a mechanical numerical calculator, in the middle of the 19th century. Babbage created the Difference Engine to compute and process massive volumes of numerical data.
This machine did not support subtraction and division operations. There was only room for addition and multiplication. The Difference Engine employed modular parts that could be swapped or replaced to enable the device to carry out additional arithmetic operations.
Babbage’s Difference Engine, the first electronic computer, was one of the early attempts to create a device that could carry out extensive calculations and handle vast volumes of numerical data. But it wasn’t the first computer. As early as the 1890s, attempts had been made to create computers.
The Instruction Set Computer
John W. Backus introduced the first computer model, the Instruction Set Computer (ISC), in 1961. It was a basic and straightforward paradigm, with binary code as its programming language.
The fact that every command is either “true” or “false” means that computers can better comprehend and analyze it.
Due to its usage of more compact code than other programming languages, it also aids in the acceleration of computers. Some contemporary computers, particularly those that demand high security, continue to use the ISC.
The ISC paved the way for further developments in computer programming, which was a significant advancement in computing technology.
Features And Traits Of The Second Generation Of Transistor Computers
- Transistors, as opposed to vacuum tubes, were the foundation of the second-generation computer.
- They are very dependable and easy to use.
- They can operate on and process assemblies and high-level languages like FORTRAN and COBOL.
- The amount of heat and energy they produce is lower.
- They need air conditioners for improved cooling and performance because they generate heat and electricity.
- As secondary storage, magnetic tape, and disks are employed.
- For improved performance, the second-generation computer system uses transistors.
- They cut down on time spent processing and managing tasks and jobs.
What Does Making A Computer Smaller Mean?
Because the component occupies less space when smaller, you can fit more in a given space. You learn newer, frequently less-materialistic ways to do what you used to do.
Think of televisions from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, in addition to those from the present day. Take off the backs to see the components, essentially the same as those in computers for a long time.
Computer speeds increase as components get smaller, more powerful, and better made. The same kinds still exist today.
However, we have compiled some of the top technologies for downsizing for now, when the size difference can still be observed with unaided human vision. Computer technology has improved substantially over time.
They are now a thin strip of material that can fit inside an envelope, whereas they used to take up a whole room and only had a little more power than a basic digital watch.
The 1950s saw the development of the first digital computers. Computers shrank because one of their key components, the valve, was replaced with a much smaller transistor in the late 1950s.
They grabbed the interest of various sectors and enterprises because they made computers substantially more reliable.
Computers became noticeably smaller as generations of computers evolved.
First Generation
In the 1940s through 1956, vacuum tubes were used in the first generation of computers—early first-generation computers used octal-based tubes, like the one on the far left. About 18,000 tubes made up the ENIAC computer from 1946, which occupied 1800 square feet (167 square meters) of space.
The IBM 701 series, a later first-generation computer model built in the 1950s, used miniature-sized tubes next to them, frequently only having around 5000 of them. One or two transistors were functionally equivalent to each tube.
The common 6SN7 and smaller 12AU7 dual-triodes were widely used for flip-flop implementation. The peripherals (tape drives, etc.) took up a lot of space, yet the computers still took up a whole room.
Examples
First-generation Mini/Mainframe computers include the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer), IBM 604, Mark-I, and EDSAC. Electronic delay storage automatic calculator.
Second Generation
Transistors were used in second-generation computers, which were much smaller and produced between 1956 and 1963. Three physicists, William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain, created the transistor in 1947.
Comparable in operation to a vacuum tube is a transistor. In second-generation computers, it replaced vacuum tubes.
Computer CPUs from the second generation are currently the size of enormous refrigerators. Transistors enabled computers to be smaller while enhancing their speed and memory capacity since they were more trustworthy, faster, and far less expensive than vacuum tubes.
However, the most crucial part of second-generation computers, core memory, was frequently sold in refrigerator-sized boxes. Therefore, transistors are the answer to which innovation made it possible for computers to be smaller.
Examples
Second-generation computers include the UNIVAC II, IBM 7030, 7780, and 7090, NCR 300 series, General Electric GE 635, and CDC 1604 computers from Control Data Corporation.
Third Generation
Integrated circuits (ICs) are also known as third-generation semiconductor chips. Scientists around the start of the 1960s created integrated circuits (ICs). In this generation of computers, memory was constructed using solid-state RAM chips rather than a core.
Smaller and medium-scale integrated circuits were used in third-generation computers produced between 1964 and 1971. A keyboard and a display were also included with these devices.
The introduction of IC chips marked a significant advance in computer technology. IC chips increased computing power while lowering the price of computers.
The quantity of transistors on a single integrated circuit chip is enormous. These computers also could execute many applications simultaneously.
As a result, third-generation computers became smaller, more affordable, and more dependable while using less power. Because of this, the development of integrated circuits (ICs) is the most obvious solution to the problem of how to make technology-enabled computers smaller in size.
Examples
Third-generation computers include the Control Data Corporation 3300 and 6600, the Burroughs 6700, the IBM System/360, the System 3, and the System 3.
Fourth Generation
A microprocessor is a single chip that manages a computer’s operations. These are small in size, quite dependable, electricity-efficient, and cheaply priced.
Computers of the fourth generation, produced between 1971 and the present, have used and continue to employ microprocessors. Scientists developed LSI (Large Scale Integration) and VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) processors with millions of transistors for this generation of computers.
These machines support contemporary programming languages like Visual Basic, C++, Java, and Python for creating strong applications.
The power of exponential expansion may be shown in the fact that the same chip would now only cost $0.02. Computers have become a common household item due to shifting from our desks to our bags, pockets, and fingers!
Computers are now even more inexpensive for personal computing because of the exponential decline in size and price. The microprocessors impact the size of the computer system.
The fourth generation of computer microprocessors includes the AMD Athlon, Intel Pentium series, Dual Core, Core2 Duo, Core3, i5, and i7 CPUs. The 6502 CPU from the 1975 Apple II only has 3510 transistors.
There are 2.6 billion transistors in the Intel Core i7 Haswell-E (2014) processor, which is found in many desktop PCs. The 1965 6502 CPU had 3510 transistors, whereas the 2014 Intel i7 processor had 2.6 billion, a difference of 740,740 times.
The A12X Bionic (ARM64) CPU, which Apple unveiled in 2018, contains 10 billion transistors, which is 2,849,003 times larger than the 6502. Moore’s law predicts that 2(2018-1975)/2=2,965,820, which is once more quite close.
Extrapolate the size of the ENIAC and consider that 6500 of its tubes were dual-triodes, the same as two transistors. Then, a building of 10 billion / 24,500 x 1,800 square feet = 735,000,000 square feet (68,255,000 square meters) or 68.3 square kilometers (26.4 square miles) would be needed to house the vacuum tube equivalent of the Apple A12X Bionic CPU.
Examples
Fourth-generation PCs include the Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, HP Pavilion, Dell Inspiron, and IBM ThinkPad.
Fifth Generation
The size of the computer has nothing to do with this generation. Therefore, we don’t need to argue about it to figure out what technology made computers smaller.
On the other hand, the fifth generation of computers aims to produce devices that can reason and interpret natural language. Thus, artificial intelligence (AI) serves as their foundation. The development and programming of such systems and software is a considerable problem.
Examples
Fifth-generation computers include, for example, robots and expert systems.
Conclusion
Transistors and IC invention allowed computers to become smaller in size. The integrated circuit, one of the most significant innovations of the 20th century, was given a patent by the US government to Intel Corporation in 1974.
The integrated circuit greatly contributed to the reduction in computer size. Future computer technology will become more sophisticated and compact thanks to artificial intelligence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a computer smaller?
A single integrated circuit (IC) contains several transistors, resistors, capacitors, and related circuitry. Jack Kilby developed the IC. This progress makes Computers more dependable, effective, and compact.
Why did computers gradually get smaller in size?
Engelbart predicted that as electronic circuits got smaller, their parts would get quicker, use less power, and be cheaper to build, all at an accelerating rate. Engelbart would go on to contribute to the development of the computer mouse and other personal computing innovations.
What was invented in 1959 that allowed computers to be smaller?
The ‘tyranny of numbers’ required the wiring of teeny computer components. Texas Instruments engineer Jack Kilby, upset by this, set out to discover a solution. One chip he made could complete the task without the need for wires.
Who made the first small computer?
The Computer History Museum regards the Kenbak-1, which was introduced in early 1971, as the first personal computer ever made. John Blankenbaker of the Kenbak Corporation conceptualized and created it in 1970, and the first units went on sale at the beginning of 1971.
This is Mohammad Talha, a fervent tech enthusiast with a Computer Science degree, has been reviewing products and assisting the digital community for over 6 years. My passion for technology is matched only by my dedication to helping others navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape.