History Of Computers and Their Effect On SocietyComputers have played a very big role in many of the most recent devlopments of society.
Since the invention of the computer, things such as education and the economy have been advanced quite a bit. The computer was not invented overnight, but instead took more than a century to go from the theory to the working model, and is still far from perfection. There is no real invvention date of the computer, its invention is more of a series of inventions that brought us the modern computer. The first mechanical computer was concieved in 1835, by Charles Babbage, but it never went beyond it's design stage.
In 1943, more than a century later, Thomas Flowers built "Colossus" the first electronic computer. John Von Nuemann created "EDVAC" in 1949 a computer that used binary arithmatic, which is still the base from which all computer systems are built around today. Computers are good for many areas. They can make an economy boom, and an education that only takes a few hours a day, but in an area of technology like weaponry it can destroy rather than help to create. The new "smart bomb" makes war easier to afford, but reduces unwanted human casualties. Since the weapons are accurate to a pinpoint target, they no longer have to rely on the warhead to do damage instead they hit critical points.
This reduces the damage to innocent bystanders since the bombs aren't actually as powerful. Education has undergone a lot of reform since computers. Now schools have not only classroom computers to type reports on but the lunchlines are computerized to get the students back in class as soon as possible. Computers make learning a more "hands-on" experiance, instead of listening idlely to a boring lecture students can learn at there own pace about a wide variety of topics.
Computers also offer a much wider variety of media, instead of only words in a text book; pictures, sounds, and full-motion video are available. In the future school buildings will not be needed at all. Students canlearn at there own speed, at home, whenever conveniant to them, as long as certain guidelines are met. Of course this also means less social contact which is one reason why this will probably never come to be.
Business has many benefits that have come from the invention of computers and highspeed comunications. The economy hadn't changed much from the standard system of coin trade for many years until the invention of the computer. Nowadays credit is much more common because it can be easily keepen track of. Much more trade is taking place because of credit cards, their conveniantness is only available through the use of a system of computers that checks the valadility of a card in a matter of seconds.
Stores can keep track of merchandise and reorder products instantly. Businesses can communicate figures back and forth over data lines at instant speeds, this eliminates all need for "paperwork." The communication gap between foriegn countries was eliminated and international trade is at its best thanks to computers.
