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Complex Number Calculator
It was technically a big calculator. It could multiply, divide, find the square roots of numbers, and do a+b. It could also be controlled by a remote. It was important because it was one of the first machines that could carry out these functions, but it was the first machine that did computing by remote control. Also was a foundation for digital computers. -
Harvard Mak I Computer
It was an electro-mechanical computer (made from switches, relays, gears, clutches) but also ran off of electricity. It did automatic calculations. It was important because it was America's first automatic digital calculator, and one of the first calculators that could do the four operations correctly. It was a huge computer for now we would call super basic operations. We have downsized from that because computers wouldn't be reasonable or affordable if they stayed that size. -
Cahode-Ray Tube (CRT)
It's a storing device for information needed for computer boot-up. It is very much like ROM except much less developed and slower. This was invented by F.C. Williams. Why it's important: This is important because this is the idea that ROM came from. ROM now is responsible for the boot-up in all of our tablets phones and computers. The CRT is actually the predecessor of ROM. -
Optical Fiber
Basil Hirschowitz, C. Wilbur Peters, and Lawrence E. Curtiss create optical fiber. Optical fiber(s) are thin strands of high-quality glass or plastic that are flexible transmit light between the two ends of the strand. This is important because they are used in fiber-optic communications which is long distance communication lines through computers that aren't nearly as susceptible to interference and they don't drop or lose signal. -
Silicon Chip
Also known as an integration chip, a silicon chip is a chip of silicon that has lots of circuits running through it. Circuits transfer information from one point to another and chips are a huge part of computers. It's important because nearly all computers and electronics have them, and they have revolutionized electronics. Silicon chips are very important parts of electronics, but they are also very affordable. This has made it possible for nearly every home in the U.S. to have an electronic. -
ARPAnet
ARPAnet is the original internet. Stands for: Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. It was the first network of computers where computers had IP addresses and was one of the world's first pocket switching networks (meaning that there were communications through the computers and all data was shared). It's important because it was the ancestor of today's internet. Without ARPAnet, we wouldn't have learned and had the technology for communications, saring, and using networks. -
The Floppy Disk
Alan Shugart and IBM worked together to create a floppy disk. A floppy disk is disk storage that uses iron oxide and magnets to store information from your computer (like documents and pictures). It's important because before this, any information created by you on your computer would be erased everytime your computer was shut off. Floppy disks allowed people to create data on their computer, and then transfer and store it, so they could view and/or edit it again later. -
Word Processors
Word processors (like Pages or Microsoft Word) are applications or programs that allow you to type data (write) into them so you can have a full paper of information. You can now change font, color, add pictures on them, but at first, the only thing you could do was type your own information. This is important because we all use word processors now. Word processors have many uses within them (besides just typing) but are a main reason we have computers: to type and record our own information. -
CD
It's a form of secondary memory that is inserted into a computer and lasers bounce off either a flat part and the light reflects (creates 1 in binary code), or it will hit a groove, and the light doesn't reflect (creates a 0). It's important because it's another way to expand a computer's memory and save data. Because ROM and RAM don't store and save our information, secondary memory is very necessary. CDs can hold lots of data, so not many are needed. -
The iPhone
The iPhone is a touch screen smart phone by Apple. It can call, text (a new form of communication in early 2000s) go on the web, play music, and it was all touch screen. This is important because it stil is a computer, but a very portable, lightweight, compressed version. It could run applications and do lots of stuff that a computer can, it was just going mobile. This was pretty much revolutionized the smart phone market and is still one of the most popular phones today.
