Unit 1 A Visit to the
Computer Museum
In this unit we’ll
learn about: evolu on of calcula ng devices early computers
your Skills
John Napier (Robert Napier /John Napier) was a mathema cian
1. __________
who invented bones for mul plica on and division.
Pascaline (Abacus / Pascaline).
2. Blaise Pascal invented the ________
3. Charless Babbage (Charles Babbage / John Napier) is known as the Father of Computers.
_____________
4. Charles Babbage designed the _____________
Analy cal Engine (Analy cal Engine / Abacus).
5. ENIAC
______ (ENIAC / Harvard Mark I) was the first computer that used electricity
to run.
B. Match the columns.
1. Pascaline a. 1822
2. Difference Engine b. 1946
3. Harvard Mark I c. 1642
4. ENIAC d. 1944
C. Name the machine.
1. It had rods made of ivory.________2.
Napier’s Bones abacus
It had beads for coun ng._______
Pascaline
3. It looked like a box and had many dials.__________________
Analy cal Engine
4. It was designed in the year 1837._________________
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D. Arrange the names of the calcula ng machines in ascending order.
5 Analy cal Engine 3 Pascaline 6 Harvard Mark I
2 Napier’s Bones 4 Difference Engine 1 Abacus
E. Cheek wants to count the number of beads in the abacus. Help Cheek to
reach the abacus.
F. Answer these ques ons.
1. What do you mean by the term ‘bones’ in Napier’s Bones?
Ans: Napier's Bones are a set of numbered rods or strips that were created by
John Napier, a Sco sh mathema cian, in the early 17th century. These
rods or strips are engraved with mul plica on tables and arranged in a
special way to facilitate mul plica on and division.
The term "bones" in Napier's Bones doesn't refer to actual bones but
rather to the rectangular rods or strips that were used in the system.
Each rod represents a mul plica on table for a specific digit (from 0 to
9), and when aligned and manipulated correctly, they allow users to
perform mul plica on and division more easily.
2. What did the people of Babylonia use the abacus for?
Ans: The people of Babylonia, an ancient civiliza on in Mesopotamia
(modern-day Iraq), used the abacus as a coun ng and calcula ng tool.
The Babylonian abacus was a simple device made of a flat surface with
grooves or lines represen ng different orders of magnitude. Pebbles or
small objects were placed in these grooves to represent numerical
values.
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3. What do you know about the Pascaline?
Ans: The Pascaline was an early mechanical calculator, invented by the
French mathema cian and philosopher Blaise Pascal in the 17th century.
Pascal created the Pascaline in 1642 when he was just 19 years old,
making it one of the earliest mechanical calculators in history.
The Pascaline was designed to perform addi on and subtrac on through
a system of gears and wheels. It consisted of a series of dials, each
represen ng a digit from 0 to 9. Users could input numbers by turning
the dials, and the machine would automa cally calculate the sum or
difference.
4. Describe the Harvard Mark I.
Ans: The Harvard Mark I, also known as the IBM Automa c Sequence
Controlled Calculator (ASCC), was one of the earliest electromechanical
computers and a significant milestone in the history of compu ng. It was
developed at Harvard University in collabora on with IBM and was
officially put into opera on in 1944.
5. What is the full form of ENIAC?
Ans: ENIAC stands for "Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer." It was
one of the earliest general-purpose electronic digital computers and was
completed in 1945. ENIAC was designed to solve complex numerical
calcula ons for scien fic and military purposes, and it played a
significant role in the development of early compu ng technology.
LAB TIME
Take students to the computer lab and
show them an informa ve video about
old computer systems.
Collect pictures of five early calcula ng devices and paste them on
PROJECT a sheet of chart paper. Also, write a few lines about these devices.
WORK You can take help from the Internet.
For Teacher
The teacher should help the students to understand how each of these compu ng devices has
contributed in the making of the modern computer.
Encourage the students to find out about the various kinds of abacus used over the years and their
names.
