Historical Development of computers I - JSS1 Computer Sudies Past Questions and Answers - page 2

Tally sticks were essential tools in ancient civilizations for tasks such as trade, agriculture, and record-keeping. Notches carved into sticks or bones represented units, facilitating numerical concepts. The sticks, often split for verification, played a crucial role in the early development of counting systems by providing a tangible method for tracking quantities and transactions.

The abacus, a versatile counting device with beads or stones on rods or wires, had varied cultural adaptations in ancient Chinese, Roman, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations. It enabled basic arithmetic operations by manipulating beads to represent numerical values. Different cultures independently developed variations of the abacus, showcasing its adaptability and importance in diverse societies for performing calculations and facilitating commerce.

Herman Hollerith's punched card system, developed in the late 1800s, revolutionized data processing, especially in the census. The system used punched cards to represent data, with electrical connections triggered by holes. Initially employed for census data, it became the foundation for early computing systems, showcasing a pivotal transition from manual to automated data processing, setting the stage for the evolution of electronic computing.