What are the generations of computer and explain?

Cynthia_Denis

The first generation of computers used vacuum tubes. The second generation of computers used transistors. The third generation of computers used integrated circuits. The fourth generation of computers used microprocessors.

orangebutterfly988

First Generation (1940-1956): The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, room-filling machines. They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions. First-generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time.

Second Generation (1956-1963): The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. Using transistors, engineers built smaller, cheaper, more reliable and energy-efficient computers. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output. However, they could do more than previous computers. They could store more information on magnetic core memory. They also executed programs faster than their predecessors.

Third Generation (1964-1971): The integrated circuit was invented in 1958, but did not become widely used in computers until the mid-1960s. Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors. Integrated circuits allowed computers to contain more circuitry on a single chip, which led to more compact and powerful machines.

Fourth Generation (1971-Present): The microprocessor was invented in 1971 and is still in use today. Microprocessors made possible the development of the personal computer, or PC. With a microprocessor, all the components of a computer—the central processing unit, memory, input/output controls, and arithmetic/logic unit—could be contained on a single chip, which led to further decreases in size and cost.

Lazybear533

The first generation of computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, room-filling machines. The Second Generation of computers came out in the late 1950s and used transistors instead of vacuum tubes. This made computers smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient, and more reliable. The Third Generation of computers began in 1964 with the introduction of Integrated Circuits(ICs). ICs are tiny electronic circuits on a small chip of silicon. This made computers even smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient, and more reliable. Computer memory and magnetic storage also underwent a revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. The Fourth Generation of computers, which began in 1971, used Very Large Scale Integration(VLSI) to create even more powerful and compact CPUs. For example, a chip in the 1970s might have had only a few thousand transistors, while a VLSI chip in the 1990s might have several million transistors. VLSI chips also led to the development of Graphic User Interfaces(GUIs). The Fifth Generation of computers is still in development and is based on artificial intelligence. Researchers are working on creating computers that can recognize and respond to human speech and Images. They are also working on creating computers that can think and learn like humans.