Computing
The University of York
The University of York is a research-intensive university located in the historic city of York, United Kingdom. It has established itself as one of the top universities in the UK and worldwide. The university has a diverse community of over 18,000 students from over 150 countries, and offers a wide...
The First Computer Bug: A Story of Grace Hopper and the Mark II Computer
When we talk about bugs in computer systems, we usually refer to errors or flaws in the software that cause the system to malfunction. But did you know that the term “bug” actually originated from a physical insect that once caused a computer to fail? This incident occurred in 1947...
George Boole: The Father of Boolean Algebra
George Boole was a 19th-century mathematician and philosopher who is widely regarded as the founder of modern symbolic logic and Boolean algebra. Born in Lincoln, England, in 1815, Boole was a self-taught mathematician who developed an interest in algebra and logic at a young age. Boole’s most significant contribution to...
The Slide Rule
This mechanical analogue computer was invented in the 1600s. The middle section of the ruler could be slid out to work out mathematical functions by reading the numbers on the scale. The slide rule, also known as a slipstick, is a mechanical device used for performing mathematical calculations. It was...
Analogue Computers
An analogue computer is a type of computer that uses physical components and electrical signals to perform mathematical operations. These computers were prevalent from the 1930s to the 1960s and were used for a variety of applications, including scientific research, engineering, and military calculations. The earliest analogue computers used mechanical...
The IBM card
The IBM card, also known as the IBM punch card, was a standard for data storage and processing during the early days of computing. The cards were first introduced by IBM in the early 1920s and quickly became a widely used method for recording and storing data, from census data...
1837: The Analytical Engine
The Analytical Engine, designed by Charles Babbage in 1837, is considered by many to be the first general-purpose digital computer. Babbage, a mathematician and inventor, had been working on designs for mechanical calculators since the early 1800s, but the Analytical Engine represented a significant leap forward in computing technology. The...
1822: The Difference Engine
The Difference Engine is a fascinating piece of computing history, developed by the British mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage in 1822. The machine was designed to perform mathematical calculations automatically and was considered one of the earliest forms of mechanical calculators. The concept behind the Difference Engine was based on...
Early Encryption: The Scytale
The art of encryption, or the process of converting plaintext into ciphertext to protect it from unauthorized access, has been around for thousands of years. One of the earliest known methods of encryption is the scytale, a device used by the ancient Greeks to secure their messages. The scytale was...