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Text 2 – Computers
(Text adapted from History of Computing. Retrieved from
https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~mitra/csFall2006/cs 303/lectures/history.html)
When you hear the term computers, it’s difficult to
imagine different devices from a laptop or a small
desktop. Believe it or not, they weren’t always like
they are today. They used to be very large and
heavy, sometimes as big as an entire room. Some
technology professors historically define computers,
as “a device that can help with computations”. The
word computation involves counting, calculating,
adding, subtracting, etc. The modern definition of a
computer is a little wider, because in our day and
age, computers store, compile, analyze and
compute an enormous amount of information.
Ancient computers were very interesting. Actually,
the first computer may have been located in Great
Britain, at Stonehenge. It is a man-made circle of
large stones. Citizens used it to measure the
weather and forecast the change of seasons. Some
specialists say that another ancient computer is the
abacus. It was used by the early Romans, Greeks,
and Egyptians to count and calculate. Even though
they are no longer in use, certainly, these early
devices are fascinating. Computers are embedded
in our history and some people say that we are
completely dependent of them. No matter the
complexity of the task, easy or difficult, some people
can’t do anything without them. Do you contest or
share this opinion?