5 Generations of Computers | Easy Engineering Concepts

 Unit 1

COMPUTER THEIR ORIGIN AND APPLICATIONS

Q1. What are the 5 generations of Computers?

Sol. This period, during which the evolution of computer took place, can be divided into five distinct phases known as Generations of Computers. These Generations are:

1. First Generation Computers (1940-1956) 
2. Second Generation Computers (1956-1963)
3. Third Generation Computers (1964-1971) 
4. Fourth Generation Computers (1971-Present)
5. Fifth Generation Computers (Present and Beyond)

First Generation Computers: Vacuum Tubes (1940-1956) 

1. The period 1940 to 1956, roughly considered as the First Generation of Computer.
2. The first generation computers were developed by using vaccum tube or thermionic valve machine.
3. The input of this system was based on punched cards and paper tape; however the output was displayed on printouts.
4. The first generation computers worked on binary-coded concept. Example: ENIAC, EDVAC etc.

Second Generation Computers: Transistors (1956-1963) 

1. The period 1956 to 1953 is roughly considered as the period of second generation of computer.
2. The second generation computers were developed using transistor technology.
3. In comparison to the first generation, the size of second generation was smaller.
4. In comparison to computers of the first generation, the computing time taken by the computers of the second generation was lesser.

Third Generation Computers: Integrated Circuit(1964-1971)

1. The third generation computers were introduced in 1964.
2. Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers.
3. They used Integrated Circuits (ICs).
4. The development of ICs proved to be a milestone in the field of computer and electronics. These ICs are popularly known as chips.
5. Silicon is the basic material used to make computer chips, transistors, silicon diodes and other electronic circuits and switching devices because its atomic structure makes the element an ideal semiconductor.

Fourth Generation Computers: Microprocessors (1971-Present)

1.  Fourth generation computers started around 1971 by using large scale of integration (LSI) in the construction of computing elements. LSI circuits built on a single silicon chip called microprocessors.
2. A microprocessor contains all the circuits required to perform arithmetic, logic and control functions on a single chip.
3. Due to the development of microprocessor it is possible to place computer‟s central processing unit (CPU) on single chip. These computers are called microcomputers. 
4. The major innovations in this generation were the development of microelectronics and the different areas in computer technology such as multiprocessing, multiprogramming, time-sharing, operating speed, and virtual storage.
5. The personal computer is a Fourth Generation Computer. It is the period when evolution of computer networks also took place.

Fifth Generation Computers: Vacuum Tubes (1940-1956) 

1. Fifth generation computers, based on artificial intelligence, are still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today.
2. Artificial Intelligence is the branch of computer science concerned with making computers behave like humans and allow the computer to take its own decision.
3. In the development of Fifth generation computers, parallel processing attended the main focus of developers.
4. Developments of more powerful computers are still in progress.
5.  It has been predicted that such a computer will be able to communicate in natural spoken language with its user, store vast knowledge databases, search rapidly through these databases, making intelligent inferences, drawing logical conclusions, image processing and see objects in the way that humans do. 

              For second part, please click on this link : Next Question

You can check my Video lectures for better understanding of this course on YouTube.

Channel Name : Easy Engineering Concepts