HISTORY & GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS

 

📕 CHAPTER 2

HISTORY & GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS

(KPSC Group-C Non-Technical – Core Scoring Chapter)

2.1 Introduction to Computer History

The history of computers is the story of human effort to reduce manual work, increase speed, and improve accuracy. From simple counting devices to modern supercomputers, computer evolution passed through mechanical, electro-mechanical, and electronic stages.

For KPSC exams, this chapter is high-yield because:

Questions are direct

Generations are frequently repeated

Matching & chronology questions are common

2.2 Early Calculating Devices (Pre-Computer Era)

2.2.1 Abacus

Invented around 3000 BC

Used in China, Egypt, Mesopotamia

First manual calculating device

Used beads and rods

📌 Exam point:

Abacus is NOT an electronic device

2.2.2 Napier’s Bones (1617)

Invented by John Napier

Used for multiplication and division

Based on logarithms

2.2.3 Slide Rule (1622)

Invented by William Oughtred

Used logarithmic scales

Used by engineers before electronic calculators

2.3 Mechanical Computers

2.3.1 Pascaline (1642)

Invented by Blaise Pascal

Mechanical adding machine

Could perform addition & subtraction

2.3.2 Leibniz Calculator (1671)

Invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

Performed multiplication & division

Improvement over Pascaline

2.4 Charles Babbage – Father of Computer

2.4.1 Difference Engine

Designed in 1822

Used to calculate mathematical tables

Mechanical device

2.4.2 Analytical Engine

Designed in 1837

Considered the first general-purpose computer

Had components similar to modern computers:

Input

Memory

Processor

Output

📌 Very important KPSC fact:

Charles Babbage = Father of Computer

2.4.3 Ada Lovelace

First computer programmer

Worked on Analytical Engine

Daughter of Lord Byron

📌 Exam question:

Who is the first programmer? → Ada Lovelace

2.5 Electromechanical Computers

2.5.1 Mark I (1944)

Developed by Howard Aiken

Used relays

Very large size

Slow speed

2.6 Electronic Computers (Modern Era)

2.6.1 ENIAC (1946)

First electronic digital computer

Used vacuum tubes

Very large & power-consuming

2.7 Generations of Computers (MOST IMPORTANT)

🔹 FIRST GENERATION (1940–1956)

Technology:

Vacuum Tubes

Features:

Huge size

Consumed more electricity

Generated a lot of heat

Low reliability

Programming Language:

Machine language

Examples:

ENIAC

EDVAC

UNIVAC-I

📌 KPSC favourite:

Vacuum tube = First generation

🔹 SECOND GENERATION (1956–1963)

Technology:

Transistors

Features:

Smaller size

Less heat

More reliable

Faster than first generation

Programming Language:

Assembly language

Examples:

IBM 1401

IBM 7094

🔹 THIRD GENERATION (1964–1971)

Technology:

Integrated Circuits (ICs)

Features:

Further reduced size

Improved speed

Operating systems introduced

Multiprogramming possible

Programming Language:

High-level languages (FORTRAN, COBOL)

Examples:

IBM 360

PDP-8

🔹 FOURTH GENERATION (1971–Present)

Technology:

Microprocessors

Features:

Very small size

Personal computers introduced

Very high speed

Low cost

Examples:

Desktop computers

Laptops

📌 Important:

PC belongs to fourth generation

🔹 FIFTH GENERATION (Present & Future)

Technology:

Artificial Intelligence

Machine Learning

Quantum computing (conceptual)

Features:

Intelligent systems

Natural language processing

Robotics

Examples:

AI systems

Expert systems

2.8 Comparison Table (Exam-Friendly)

Generation

Technology

Size

Speed

First

Vacuum Tube

Very Large

Slow

Second

Transistor

Smaller

Faster

Third

IC

Smaller

High

Fourth

Microprocessor

Very Small

Very High

Fifth

AI

Ultra-small

Ultra-fast

2.9 Frequently Asked KPSC Focus Areas

Father of computer

First programmer

Technology used in each generation

Example matching

2.10 Chapter-End Summary

Computer evolved step-by-step

Each generation solved earlier limitations

Generations are high-scoring

📝 100 MCQs – CHAPTER 2

(KPSC Group-C Non-Technical Pattern)

I’ll give first 25 here (remaining will continue in next response to keep accuracy tight):

Father of Computer is

A) Newton

B) Charles Babbage ✅

C) Alan Turing

D) Pascal

Analytical Engine was proposed by

A) Pascal

B) Leibniz

C) Charles Babbage ✅

D) Howard Aiken

First programmer was

A) Ada Lovelace ✅

B) Grace Hopper

C) Marie Curie

D) Von Neumann

ENIAC used

A) Transistors

B) ICs

C) Vacuum tubes ✅

D) Microprocessors

Which generation used transistors?

A) First

B) Second ✅

C) Third

D) Fourth

IBM 360 belongs to

A) Second

B) Third ✅

C) Fourth

D) Fifth

PC belongs to which generation?

A) First

B) Second

C) Third

D) Fourth ✅

Slide Rule was invented by

A) Napier

B) Oughtred ✅

C) Pascal

D) Leibniz

Abacus is a

A) Mechanical device

B) Electronic device

C) Manual device ✅

D) Digital device

Fifth generation is based on

A) IC

B) Microprocessor

C) AI ✅

D) Vacuum tubes

Analytical Engine used which concept?

A) Stored program

B) Input-Process-Output ✅

C) Cloud computing

D) Networking

Abacus was mainly used for

A) Addition

B) Subtraction

C) Counting

D) All of the above ✅

Which is NOT a first-generation computer?

A) ENIAC

B) EDVAC

C) IBM-360 ✅

D) UNIVAC

IBM-1401 belongs to

A) First generation

B) Second generation ✅

C) Third generation

D) Fourth generation

Which generation reduced computer size significantly?

A) First

B) Second

C) Third

D) Fourth ✅

Transistor was invented in

A) 1945

B) 1947 ✅

C) 1952

D) 1960

The speed of first-generation computers was measured in

A) Seconds

B) Milliseconds

C) Microseconds

D) Nanoseconds

Which device replaced vacuum tubes?

A) IC

B) Transistor ✅

C) Microchip

D) CPU

Von Neumann architecture is related to

A) Hardware design

B) Stored program concept ✅

C) AI

D) Networking

Fifth generation computers aim to achieve

A) Automation

B) Intelligence ✅

C) Accuracy

D) Storage

PDP-8 belongs to

A) Second generation

B) Third generation ✅

C) Fourth generation

D) Fifth generation

Slide Rule works on

A) Addition

B) Subtraction

C) Logarithms ✅

D) Binary

Who invented Napier’s Bones?

A) Pascal

B) Napier ✅

C) Leibniz

D) Oughtred

First digital computer was

A) UNIVAC

B) Mark-I

C) ENIAC ✅

D) EDVAC

Which generation introduced time-sharing?

A) First

B) Second

C) Third ✅

D) Fourth

ICs reduced

A) Size and cost ✅

B) Speed

C) Accuracy

D) Storage

AI systems belong to

A) Third generation

B) Fourth generation

C) Fifth generation ✅

D) Second generation

Mechanical computers were replaced by

A) Electronic computers ✅

B) Manual calculators

C) Abacus

D) Slide rule

First generation computers consumed

A) Low power

B) Moderate power

C) Very high power ✅

D) No power

Assembly language is also called

A) High-level language

B) Low-level language ✅

C) Machine language

D) Natural language

Which is NOT an example of fourth generation?

A) Desktop

B) Laptop

C) Supercomputer

D) ENIAC ✅

Charles Babbage was born in

A) France

B) Germany

C) England ✅

D) USA

Which device was first used for calculations?

A) Calculator

B) Abacus ✅

C) Computer

D) Mobile

Main drawback of vacuum tubes

A) Speed

B) Heat generation ✅

C) Cost

D) Accuracy

Which generation first used keyboards and monitors?

A) First

B) Second

C) Third ✅

D) Fourth

Fifth generation computers are still

A) Obsolete

B) Developing ✅

C) Mechanical

D) Manual

11. Difference Engine was designed in the year

A) 1800

B) 1812

C) 1822 ✅

D) 1840

ENIAC stands for

A) Electronic National Integrated Automatic Computer

B) Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer ✅

C) Electrical Numerical Integrated Computer

D) Electronic National Intelligent Computer

UNIVAC-I belongs to

A) Second generation

B) Third generation

C) First generation ✅

D) Fourth generation

Which computer used relays?

A) ENIAC

B) EDVAC

C) Mark-I ✅

D) UNIVAC

Mark-I was developed by

A) Charles Babbage

B) Howard Aiken ✅

C) Alan Turing

D) Von Neumann

Assembly language was mainly used in

A) First generation

B) Second generation ✅

C) Third generation

D) Fourth generation

IC stands for

A) Integrated Circuit ✅

B) Internal Computer

C) Integrated Chip

D) Intelligent Circuit

Which generation introduced operating systems?

A) First

B) Second

C) Third ✅

D) Fourth

Vacuum tubes generated

A) Less heat

B) No heat

C) More heat ✅

D) Controlled heat

Microprocessor is the base of

A) Third generation

B) Second generation

C) Fourth generation ✅

D) First generation

Who is called the father of modern computers?

A) Babbage

B) Alan Turing ✅

C) Pascal

D) Leibniz

FORTRAN language belongs to

A) First generation

B) Second generation

C) Third generation ✅

D) Fourth generation

COBOL is mainly used for

A) Scientific calculations

B) Business applications ✅

C) Gaming

D) AI

Fifth generation computers are based on

A) Transistors

B) ICs

C) Microprocessors

D) Artificial Intelligence ✅