The use of computers in the modern world. The role of the computer in modern society

15.04.2019 TVs (Smart TV)

Computers in modern world

Modern life is unimaginable without computers. Technology pervades the entire civilized world. The invention of microprocessor technology was the third information revolution mankind after the invention of printing in the middle of the XVI century. and electricity at the end of the 19th century. These phenomena have radically changed the lives of people, their worldview, the spheres of production, communication and leisure.

Since 1947 Since the invention of the first computer, computers have been constantly improving, from generation to generation, and now it’s even creepy to imagine how huge and slow the familiar ancestor of such a familiar machine was a couple of decades ago. And nowadays even a 3-year-old computer becomes obsolete. Over several tens of centuries, both the composition and speed of computers and software, which makes it much easier to work with a computer in our time. Moreover, when raising the technology to the next step, several ways of improvement open up at once. New programs are being created, replacing the old ones, and the most used ones are being improved. Now computer technology is taking on more and more diverse shapes and methods of application, continues to be introduced into new areas of life.

Computers, laptops, set-top boxes, gaming devices, mobile phones, communicators, pocket computers, etc. equipment, constantly improving, has a steady demand from almost all segments of the population.
Nowadays, every person needs to know the basics of how to use and use a computer. Having knowledge helps to operate the device correctly and reduces the risk of damage from improper operation. But if, nevertheless, the computer is out of order, then contact the service center, for example, this http://computerservis174.ru and they will help you return the equipment to a working state. With knowledge of the computer, it is easier to both get a job and use it more or less independently without breakdowns and the help of specialists. Programs make it possible to simplify and speed up the execution of such a task, reduce the likelihood of computational errors (but not eliminate them, since in any case the human factor is important). In addition, it is interesting to know the composition of your favorite toy, which you can stare at for hours, day after day and night after night, and ways to improve it. And in our time, 90% of modern teenagers know the main types of PCs, if not for games, then they are necessary for study and work.

Thus, computer technologies are now firmly entrenched in our lives and there are steady trends for improvement in them, which is reflected in our lives, regardless of whether we study these phenomena in educational institutions or are interested in ourselves.
In our time, every person more or less often, but is faced with computer technology. And some cannot imagine life and work without mobile phone, computer and internet. This is study, and work, and leisure. And the entire computer industry, firmly established in life, makes us study computer science and know the design and use of computers.

Of course, it is incredibly difficult to assess the role that the computer plays in the life of modern society. Since computing and storage devices are used everywhere today, in every company, it is simply impossible to imagine the collapse of an established system.

For example, have you ever wondered what would happen if some large enterprise computerized equipment fails? Of course, first of all, all production processes will completely stop. What this threatens, I think, is clear to many.

Over the past two decades, computers have become an integral part of society, and with the advent of the Internet, a person has received opportunities that were not possible before. For example, as soon as modern technologies flooded the domestic market, video recorders, cassettes and much more instantly disappeared.

And really, what is the use of them if every Internet user can listen to any music for free, watch movies online, download books in electronic format and then print them out? And all this is done without leaving their home!

What modern call center can do without computers, as well as embedded in it information technologies? Of course, none of the enterprises will function normally without this equipment. In the twenty-first century, we humans have received along with additional features a high degree of dependence on computerized devices that are capable of storing and processing any information.

All modern computers (PCs, laptops, netbooks, tablets, etc.) can be used both at home and taken with you on a trip. For example, some smartphones latest generation have in their functionality all the programs necessary for a person. Also, despite their small size, you can watch any videos, listen to music. In general, modern technologies allow a person to always be aware of all events.

His horizons are also significantly expanding, because on the Internet he can gather such an amount of information for himself that it will be problematic to get it in any other way. Of course, everything should be in moderation, so the computer is not a panacea for the development of your child.

Computers are firmly rooted in our society, so it would probably be very, very difficult to live without them.

What role does the computer play in our lives?

Computers have long and firmly entered our lives. They radically changed the world and the possibilities of people. But we all know that the computer has both a positive impact on a person and a negative one.

The computer has made our life much easier. Sometimes we can no longer imagine our life without a computer and the Internet. For example, a student in a short time can find a term paper or an essay on topic. The Internet has unlimited possibilities. Doctors use computers to diagnose the body. For fashion designers, designers and architects, the computer has opened up vast horizons. In manufacturing, computers control other machines. Today man is just a passive observer.

More recently, physical labor was valued more, but today the need for intellectual labor is constantly increasing. But it cannot be assessed unambiguously. Yes, many have significantly increased their horizons, but the physical condition of many has suffered. Gradually we forget about sports and physical activity. But restoring health is very difficult. Some do not understand this, or simply do not care. Often (especially schoolchildren) prefer to sit for long hours at a computer desk than to take a walk on fresh air They don't even realize how much harm they're doing to themselves.

Therefore, in order to somehow improve the situation, you need to properly organize workplace. First of all, you need a comfortable computer desk and chair. Of course, you can put a computer on both the dining table and the book-table, but the book-table is designed for completely different purposes and it’s difficult to call such work comfortable.

Yes, today books are slowly moving away, and the second plan. And, perhaps, this is natural, in connection with the current situation. Why read something if you can find any essay or essay on the Internet. Moreover, special efforts are not required for this, and much less time is spent. And if one day there is a desire to read, then there is no need to go to the library or force the apartment with bookcases, because one computer replaces hundreds of bookcases.

If we talk about the daily life of a person, then the computer has gradually penetrated there. For instance, numerous online stores. Today, even a purchase can be made while in your own apartment. Nowadays, wherever we are, there is a lot of talk about the Internet. This technology affects our lives as much as television or telephone. And, probably, there is no such area of life that this technique would not touch.

The positive impact of the computer on human life

Consider positive influence computer per person. For example, the Internet gave people the opportunity to receive the latest news, gossip, information about idols. Play very interesting and exciting on-lain games.

Became very popular video conference. With their help, people can not only hear each other, but also see. Thus, they can solve important issues without changing their workplace and save both their money and time.

In the Internet you can find a job, which will be highly paid and bring pleasure. You can quickly transfer documents to a partner, receive a newsletter, quickly find out the latest news, for example, from the stock exchange, and this is very much appreciated in business.

Internet makes shopping easier. V in electronic format they are cheaper. When ordering goods and services, you can see in detail the description, photo, check reviews on this product. Sell a car, buy a pet, find entertainment for the weekend, pick up a tour.

Communicate in the on-lain mode on the social networks "VKontakte", "Odnoklassniki". So former classmates, old acquaintances and childhood friends who have not seen each other for many years can communicate again, view photos and give gifts to each other. There are dating sites where single hearts can find each other and live a long and happy life if they are lucky.

Do not forget about the disabled, sick people, people who do not have the opportunity of real contact with other people. Internet allows you to communicate with real compatriots and other people living in other countries. That makes it possible to study the culture, customs, history of other states. The Internet provides great opportunities for education, because you can find such sources of information in it that are not found in any library. The network allows you to quickly find the answer to your question.

The negative impact of the computer on humans

Provocation of epileptic seizures The opinion about the possibility of provoking seizures while working on a computer is greatly exaggerated. It has also not been proven whether a computer can influence the course of epilepsy. However, there are individual people With hypersensitivity to light flashes and the possibility of epileptic seizures (photosensitive seizures). If you have a concern about the appearance of photosensitivity seizures in a child, then you need to contact a specialized medical center and have him study the biocurrents of the brain during light flashes, an electroencephalogram (EEG) with photostimulation. This study in the vast majority of cases reveals impaired brain cells (photosensitive epileptic activity) in people with epilepsy. At the same time, the presence of photosensitivity epileptic activity on an electroencephalogram is not a categorical contraindication for working with a computer. With the right treatment and a number of protective measures, you can not deprive the child of the pleasure of working on a computer.

It is desirable that the video monitor has a high resolution and frame rate - this will reduce screen flicker. A high degree of concentration of attention and the need for a quick reaction when working on a computer can even, by activating the work of the cerebral cortex, prevent the occurrence of seizures. Please note that the computer may become an important factor social development of a child with epileptic seizures due to the possibility of working with educational programs, obtaining information of interest to him and communicating with peers using telecommunications (modem connection to the Internet, etc.).

Electromagnetic radiation Every device that produces or consumes electricity generates electromagnetic radiation. This radiation is concentrated around the device in the form of an electromagnetic field. Some appliances, such as a toaster or refrigerator, produce very low levels electromagnetic radiation. Other devices ( high voltage lines, microwave. ovens, televisions, computer monitors) create much higher levels of radiation. Electromagnetic radiation cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched, but nevertheless it is present everywhere. Although no one has yet proven the harmful effects of ordinary levels of electromagnetic radiation on the health of children and adults, this problem is of concern to many. Such fears are most often associated with a misunderstanding of the very term radiation. For many of us, this term is associated with X-rays (or the so-called ionizing radiation), i.e. a high-frequency form of radiation that has been proven to increase the chance of cancer in humans and animals. In fact, anyone who is familiar with the principle of operation of a computer monitor (also called a video terminal or display) will agree that it makes no sense to talk about x-rays here. The small amount of ionizing radiation generated by the cathode ray tube inside the monitor is effectively shielded by the glass of the tube. As for the effect of electromagnetic radiation on the human body, more low frequencies- very low frequency and extremely low frequency radiation generated by computers and other household electrical appliances, here scientists and consumer rights advocates have not yet come to a consensus. The research in this area, verified in recent years, has only added to the concern and raised new unanswered questions.

Ways to minimize harm from a computer

The main harmful factors affecting the health of people working at the computer: - sitting position for a long time; - exposure to electromagnetic radiation of the monitor; - eyestrain, eye strain; - overload of the joints of the hands; - Stress when information is lost.

Sitting position.

It would seem that a person sits at a computer in a relaxed position, but it is forced and unpleasant for the body: the neck, head muscles, arms and shoulders are tense, hence the excessive load on the spine, osteochondrosis, and scoliosis in children. For those who sit a lot, a kind of thermal compress forms between the seat of the chair and the body, which leads to stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs, as a result - prostatitis and hemorrhoids, diseases whose treatment is a long and unpleasant process. In addition, a sedentary lifestyle often leads to hypertension and obesity.

Electromagnetic radiation.

Modern monitors have become safer for health, but not yet completely. And if you have a very old monitor on your desk, it is better to stay away from it.

Impact on vision.

The eyes register the smallest vibration of a text or picture, and even more so the flickering of the screen. Eye overload leads to loss of visual acuity. Poor selection of colors, fonts, layout of windows in the programs you use, incorrect position of the screen have a bad effect on vision.

Overloading of the joints of the hands.

The nerve endings of the fingertips seem to break from constant blows on the keys, numbness, weakness occur, goosebumps run in the pads. This can lead to damage to the articular and ligamentous apparatus of the hand, and in the future, hand diseases can become chronic.

Stress at information loss.

Not all users regularly do backups your information. But even viruses are on the alert, and hard drives of the best firms sometimes break, and the most experienced programmer can sometimes press the wrong button ... As a result of such stress, heart attacks also occurred.

The urgency of the problem

In the presented article, you were able to get acquainted with the topic "The role of the computer in human life." I think you will agree that the topic is very relevant in modern society, when a person spends most of the day working with a computer. Of course, we all understand that we cannot get away from the computer, but at the same time we are aware of all the harm that it causes us. In this article, you got acquainted with the most, in my opinion, the main ways to minimize the harm from our electronic friend. Proper computer work will allow you to maintain your health.

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Personal computers, history of creation, place in the modern world

Introduction

When our ancestor first took a stick to knock fruit from a tree, he lengthened his arm. When man invented a lever to move a heavy stone, he increased his physical strength. The spyglass increased man's vigilance, and the bicycle increased his speed. But the man did not stop there. The lever was replaced by a powerful crane, the telescope was replaced by a telescope, the bicycle was replaced by a car. There were planes, rockets, television.

To create, one had to count. Count more and more. Then man invented the computer. True, before inventing it, man invented many more simple devices, facilitating the calculation. And if all previous inventions increased our physical strength, speed, power of vision, then the computer increased our mental capabilities.

Computers have firmly entered our production activities and at present there is no need to prove the feasibility of using computing technology in process control systems, design, scientific research, administration, v educational process, bank accounts, healthcare, service sector, etc.

At the same time, recent years both abroad and in our country are characterized by a sharp increase in the production of mini- and micro-computers (personal computers)

Based on mini and personal computers, you can build local networks computer, which allows solving complex problems of production management.

Studies have shown that of all the information generated in an organization, 60-80% is used directly in the same organization, circulating between departments and employees, and only the rest in a generalized form goes to ministries and departments. This means that computer facilities dispersed across departments and workplaces should function in a single process, and employees of the organization should be able to communicate with each other using subscriber facilities, with a single or distributed data bank. At the same time, high efficiency in the use of computer technology should be ensured.

The solution of this problem was largely facilitated by the emergence of microelectronic means of medium and high degree of integration, personal computers, equipment with built-in microprocessors.

The history of development and the capabilities of computers will be discussed below.

1 . StoryWithcomputer building

1.1 Mechanical calculating machines

babbage computer generation counting

Often the laurels of the first designer of a mechanical calculator are mistakenly given to the famous mathematician Blaise Pascal. In fact, it is reliably known that the German astronomer and mathematician Wilhelm Schickard, who, twenty years before Pascal, in a letter to his friend Johannes Kepler in 1623, wrote about a machine that could subtract, add, divide and multiply. But the version that Schickard is the pioneer in this area is also not true: in 1967, unknown notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci were discovered, who built the same thing as Schickard, but more than 120 years before him.

The first mechanical calculating device that did not exist on paper, but worked, was a calculating machine built in 1642 by an outstanding French scientist Blaise Pascal. Pascal's mechanical "computer" could add and subtract. "Pascalina" - that was the name of the car - consisted of a set of vertically mounted wheels with numbers from 0 to 9 printed on them. At a full turn of the wheel, it meshed with the adjacent wheel and turned it by one division. The number of wheels determined the number of digits - for example, two wheels made it possible to count up to 99, three - already up to 999, and five wheels made the machine “knowing” even such large numbers as 99999. It was very easy to count on Pascaline.

In 1673, the German mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz created a mechanical calculating device that not only added and subtracted, but also multiplied and divided. Leibniz's machine was more complex than the Pascalina. The number wheels, now toothed, had teeth of nine different lengths, and the calculations were made by gearing the wheels. It was the slightly modified Leibniz wheels that became the basis of mass calculating instruments - adding machines, which were widely used not only in the 19th century, but also relatively recently by our grandfathers and grandmothers.

Arithmometers have received a very wide application. Even very complex calculations were performed on them, for example, calculations of ballistic tables for artillery firing. There was also a special profession - a counter - a person working with an adding machine, quickly and accurately following a certain sequence of instructions (this sequence of instructions later became known as a program). But many calculations were made very slowly - even dozens of counters had to work for several weeks and months. The reason is simple - with such calculations, the choice of actions to be performed and the recording of the results were made by a person, and the speed of his work is very limited.

1.2 Babbage's ideas

Of all the inventors of the past centuries who contributed to the development of computer technology, the Englishman Charles Babbage came closest to creating a computer in the modern sense.

The desire to mechanize calculations arose in Babbage in connection with the dissatisfaction that he experienced when faced with errors in mathematical tables used in various fields.

In 1822, Babbage built a trial model of a computing device, calling it the "Difference Engine": the operation of the model was based on the principle known in mathematics as the "method of finite differences." This method allows you to calculate the values of polynomials using only the operation of addition and not perform multiplication and division, which are much more difficult to automate. This provided for the use of a decimal number system (and not binary, as in modern computers).

However, the "Difference Engine" had rather limited capabilities. Babbage's reputation as a pioneer in the field of automatic calculations is largely due to another, more advanced device, the Analytical Engine (which he came up with in 1834), which has surprisingly much in common with modern computers.

It was supposed to be a computer for solving a wide range of tasks, capable of performing basic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. It was envisaged that the machine would have a “warehouse” and a “mill” (in modern computers, they correspond to memory and a processor). Moreover, it was planned that it would work according to a program set using punched cards, and the results could be printed (and even presented graphically) or on punched cards. But Babbage was not able to complete the work on the creation of the Analytical Engine, it turned out to be too complicated for the technology of that time.

Historians claim that the first person to formulate the idea of a machine that can perform calculations automatically (ie without the direct participation of a person thanks to a programmed program) was Charles Babbage 1 . He not only proclaimed the idea of an automatic computer, which was not obvious at that time, but also devoted his whole life to developing it. One of his merits was that he anticipated the functional design of computing devices. As conceived by Babbage, his analytical engine had the following functional units:

b "warehouse" for storing numbers (in modern terminology, memory);

b "mill" (arithmetic device);

b a device that controls the sequence of operations in the machine (Babbage did not give it a name, the term control device is now used);

l data input and output devices.

Babbage's ideas were decades ahead of the advent of usable practical implementation computing machines element base - really working designs appeared only in the middle of the 20th century. The fundamental principles of computer architecture were summarized and systematically presented in 1946 in the classic article by A. Burks, G. Goldstein and J. Neumann "A Preliminary Consideration of the Logical Design of an Electronic Computing Device." In it, in particular, the structure of the computer was clearly and logically substantiated.

All functional blocks of a computer have a completely natural purpose and form a simple and logically justified structure. The latter turned out to be so successful that in many ways it has survived to this day. It even uses the common name von Neumann architecture.

Thus, any computer contains the following functional blocks:

l arithmetic-logical unit ALU;

l control unit CU;

b different kinds memory;

l input devices and

l information output devices.

In connection with huge success in the miniaturization of electronic components, in modern computers, ALU and control unit have been structurally combined into a single unit - a microprocessor. In general, the term processor almost everywhere, with the exception of detailed literature, has supplanted references to its components ALU and CU.

If the list of functional blocks itself has not changed for more than half a century, then the methods of their connection and interaction have undergone some evolutionary development.

2 . Generations of computers

2 .1 First generation computers

First generation. (1945-1954) - vacuum tube computers (like those in old televisions). This prehistoric times, the era of the formation of computer technology. Most of the machines of the first generation were experimental devices and were built in order to test certain theoretical positions. The weight and size of these computer dinosaurs, which often required separate buildings for themselves, have long become a legend.

The founders of computer science are considered to be Claude Shannon - the creator of information theory, Alan Turing - a mathematician who developed the theory of programs and algorithms, and John von Neumann - the author of the design of computing devices, which still underlies most computers. In the same years, another new science related to computer science - cybernetics, the science of management as one of the main information processes. The founder of cybernetics is the American mathematician Norbert Wiener.

2 .2 Second generation computers

In the second generation of computers (1955-1964), transistors were used instead of vacuum tubes, and magnetic cores and magnetic drums, the distant ancestors of modern hard drives, began to be used as memory devices. All this made it possible to drastically reduce the size and cost of computers, which were then first built for sale.

But the main achievements of this era belong to the area of programs. The second generation of computers first introduced what is today called an operating system. At the same time, the first languages were developed high level- Fortran, Algol, Cobol. These two important improvements have greatly simplified and accelerated the writing of programs for computers; programming, while remaining a science, acquires the features of a craft.

Accordingly, the scope of computers has also expanded. It was no longer only scientists who could count on access to computing technology; computers found use in planning and management, and some large firms even computerized their bookkeeping, anticipating fashion by twenty years.

2.3 Third generation computers

In the third generation of computers (1965-1974) for the first time began to be used integrated circuits- entire devices and nodes of tens and hundreds of transistors, made on a single semiconductor crystal (what is now called microcircuits). At the same time, semiconductor memory appears, which is used all day long in personal computers as operational memory.

During these years, the production of computers acquires an industrial scale. IBM, which made its way to the leaders, was the first to implement a family of computers - a series of computers that are fully compatible with each other, from the smallest, the size of a small cabinet (they didn’t do smaller then), to the most powerful and expensive models. The most common in those years was the System / 360 family of IBM, on the basis of which the ES series of computers was developed in the USSR.

Back in the early 60s, the first minicomputers appeared - small low power computers, affordable small firms or laboratories. Minicomputers represented the first step towards personal computers, the prototypes of which were released only in the mid-70s. The well-known PDP family of minicomputers from Digital Equipment served as a prototype for the Soviet series of SM machines.

Meanwhile, the number of elements and connections between them, fitting in one microcircuit, was constantly growing, and in the 70s, integrated circuits already contained thousands of transistors. This made it possible to combine most of the components of a computer in a single small detail - which Intel did in 1971, releasing the first microprocessor, which was intended for the newly appeared desktop calculators. This invention was destined to produce a real revolution in the next decade - after all, the microprocessor is the heart and soul of our personal computer.

But that's not all - truly, the turn of the 60s and 70s was a fateful time. In 1969, the first global computer network was born - the embryo of what we now call the Internet. And in the same 1969, simultaneously appeared operating system Unix and the C programming language ("C"), which had a huge impact on the software world and still retain their leading position.

2.4 Fourth generation computers

Unfortunately, the harmonious picture of the change of generations is further disturbed. It is generally believed that the period from 1975 to 1985. belongs to fourth generation computers. However, there is another opinion - many believe that the achievements of this period are not so great as to consider it an equal generation. Supporters of this point of view call this decade belonging to the "third and a half" generation of computers, and only since 1985, in their opinion, should the years of life of the fourth generation proper, which is alive to this day, be counted.

One way or another, it is obvious that since the mid-1970s there have been fewer and fewer fundamental innovations in computer science. Progress is mainly along the path of development of what has already been invented and invented - primarily by increasing the power and miniaturization of the element base and the computers themselves.

And, of course, the most important thing is that since the beginning of the 80s, thanks to the advent of personal computers, computer technology has become truly mass and generally accessible. A paradoxical situation arises: despite the fact that personal and minicomputers are still lagging behind large machines in all respects, the lion's share of the innovations of the last decade has been the graphical user interface, new peripherals, global networks- owe their appearance and development to this "frivolous" technique. Large computers and supercomputers, of course, are by no means extinct and continue to develop. But now they no longer dominate the computer arena as they once did.

2.5 Fifth generation computers

Basic requirements for computers of the 5th generation: Creation of a developed human-machine interface (recognition of speech, images); Development of logic programming to create knowledge bases and artificial intelligence systems; Creation of new technologies in the production of computer technology; Creation of new architectures of computers and computing systems.

The new technical capabilities of computer technology were supposed to expand the range of tasks to be solved and make it possible to move on to the tasks of creating artificial intelligence. As one of the components necessary for the creation of artificial intelligence are knowledge bases (databases) in various areas of science and technology. To create and use databases, you need high performance computing system and a large amount of memory. Mainframe computers are capable of high-speed calculations, but are not suitable for performing high-speed comparison and sorting operations on large amounts of records that are usually stored on magnetic disks. To create programs that provide filling, updating databases and working with them, special object-oriented and logical programming languages \u200b\u200bwere created that provide the greatest opportunities compared to conventional ones. procedural languages. The structure of these languages requires a transition from the traditional von Neumann computer architecture to architectures that take into account the requirements of the tasks of creating artificial intelligence.

2.6 Generations of supercomputers

The class of supercomputers includes computers that have the maximum performance at the time of their release, or the so-called 5th generation computers.

The first supercomputers appeared already among the computers of the second generation, they were designed to solve complex problems that required high speed calculations. These are LARC from UNIVAC, Stretch from IBM and "CDC-6600" (CYBER family) from Control Data Corporation, they used parallel processing methods (increasing the number of operations performed per unit of time), command pipelining (when during the execution of one command the second is read from memory and prepared for execution) and parallel processing using a processor of complex structure, consisting of a matrix of data processors and a special control processor that distributes tasks and controls the data flow in the system. Computers that execute several programs in parallel using several microprocessors are called multiprocessor systems.

A distinctive feature of supercomputers is vector processors equipped with equipment for parallel execution of operations with multidimensional digital objects - vectors and matrices. They have built-in vector registers and a parallel pipeline processing mechanism. If on a conventional processor the programmer performs operations on each component of the vector in turn, then on a vector processor it immediately issues vector commands

Until the mid-1980s, Sperry Univac and Burroughs were among the largest supercomputer manufacturers in the world. The former is known in particular for its UNIVAC-1108 and UNIVAC-1110 mainframes, which were widely used in universities and government organizations.

After the merger between Sperry Univac and Burroughs, the combined firm UNISYS continued to support both mainframe lines, while maintaining upward compatibility in each. This is a clear testament to the hard and fast rule that has supported the development of the mainframe - the preservation of the functionality of previously developed software.

In the world of supercomputers, it is known and Intel. Paragon multiprocessor computers by Intel in the family of multiprocessor structures with distributed memory have become as classic as computers from Cray Research in the field of vector-pipeline supercomputers.

In our time, the time of universal computerization, all over the world there is a steady increase in the proportion of people working in the information sphere in comparison with the production one. So, for example, in the USA a hundred years ago, 5% of employees were employed in the information sphere and 95% in the production sector, and today this ratio is approaching 50 to 50, and such a redistribution of people continues. Automation and computerization information sphere, in general, lags behind the automation of the manufacturing sector. Now it is no longer enough for a person that a computer quickly and accurately solves the most complex calculation problems, today a person becomes needed help Computer for fast interpretation, semantic analysis of a huge amount of information. These tasks could be solved by the so-called "artificial intelligence". The question of creating artificial intelligence arose almost simultaneously with the beginning of computer revolution. But many questions arise in the way of its creation: the fundamental possibility of creating artificial intelligence based on computer systems; will the artificial intelligence of the computer, if it can be created, be similar to the human one in the form of perception and comprehension of the real world, or will it be an intelligence of a completely different quality; the possibility of representing knowledge in computer systems and many others. Many problems have not been solved, and among these problems not the last place belongs to problems that philosophy could help solve.

3 . Place in the modern world

3.1 Evolutionary process

The evolutionary process that led to modern microcomputers was extremely fast. Although the creation of the machine known as the "personal computer" was used big number discoveries and inventions, it is necessary to mention several events that have become important milestones in the history of science in order to present a complete picture in its perspective.

Not so long ago, only three decades ago, a computer was a whole complex of huge cabinets that occupied several large rooms. And of all she did something that she quickly counted. It took a wild imagination of journalists to see in these giant adding machines “thinking units, and even to frighten people with the fact that computers are about to become more intelligent than a person.

The then reassessment of human capabilities is understandable. Imagine: on railways steam locomotives were still puffing, helicopters were just appearing, and they were looked at as if they were a curiosity; still rarely seen TV; only narrow specialists knew about computers ... and suddenly there was a sensation - the machine translates from language to language! Let just a couple of short sentences, but she translates herself! There was something to be amazed at. In addition, the computer was rapidly improving: its size was sharply reduced, it worked faster and faster, it acquired more and more new devices with which it began to print text, draw drawings and even draw pictures. It is not surprising that people believed all sorts of fiction about a new technological miracle. And when one caustic cybernetician himself composed foggy-mysterious poems, and then passed them off as writing a machine, they believed him.

3.2 Modern computers

What can we say about modern computers, compact, high-speed, equipped with arms - manipulators, display screens, printing, drawing and drawing devices, analyzers of images, sounds, speech synthesizers and other "organs"! At the World Expo in Osaka, computerized robots were already walking up the stairs, carrying things from floor to floor, playing the piano from a sheet, talking to visitors. So it seems that they are about to equal their abilities with a person, or even surpass him.

Yes, computers can do a lot. But, of course, not all. First of all, "smart" machines can effectively help the student in their studies. For some reason, it is believed that computers are needed primarily in the lessons of mathematics, physics, chemistry, i.e. when studying those sciences that seem to be closer to technology, and in the lessons of the Russian language, it is enough, they say, traditional "technical" means - blackboards, chalk and rags.

Of course, language is immeasurably more complex than any mathematical, chemical or physical system conventional signs. Language covers all areas of human knowledge without exception, and this knowledge itself is impossible without it. Language is the shaping and expressing of our thinking, and thinking is the most complex of all that is known to us, at least until today. However, computers are increasingly invading the humanities, and this process will continue at an increasing pace.

3.3 Computer family

The family of computers - electronic technical devices for processing information - is quite large and diverse. There are small counting devices - microcalculators that fit in wristwatches, ballpoint pens: tiny number buttons that need to be pressed with a needle or a pencil point, and several operations - four arithmetic operations, calculating percentages, raising to a power, extracting a root. That's all - for working with the language, the possibilities are not enough.

Computers are bigger - the size of a card - a calendar and the same flat ones. There are no buttons on them, and there are no moving parts at all. Everything is simply printed, and the indicator numbers are on liquid crystals. You touch the printed numbers - they line up on the indicator of crystals; energy - from the printed strip - a photoelectric cell. Such a "machine" cannot be broken or broken, except to break.

There are calculators with notebook, with a medium format book. Their capabilities are increasing: the device performs a whole range of complex algebraic operations, it has RAM, so that the work can already be easily programmed.

There are even models of pocket calculators with external memory - a whole set of ferromagnetic plates on which you can write quite complex program with a lot of input data. As needed, the plates are inserted into the receiver of the machine, it "swallows" them and processes the information no worse than the first computing cabinets - mastodons. But the baby - fits in your pocket!

So imperceptibly from a simple electronic counter grows real computer with wide possibilities. And now a desktop computer appears with a solid external memory, a display screen and alphabetic keyboard. This is already a personal, individual computer, the capabilities of which are quite enough to work with the language. And you can’t imagine any better convenience: the program is recorded on a small disc - a floppy disk, information is entered directly from the keyboard, where there are numbers and an alphabet (Russian or Latin), everything you need is displayed here on the display screen. No hassle with either punched cards or punched tapes, no worries about machine time, no expectations when exactly your program will work and results will be obtained - everything is here, everything is at hand, everything is in front of your eyes.

There are individual computers with CD memory. This is a small iridescent disc the size of a small record player, only it is “played” not with a needle, but with the help of laser beam. So much information can fit on one such disk that if it is printed in a book, entire volumes will be needed. But if the capabilities of an individual computer are still not enough, one has to turn to large computers.

Conclusion

COMPUTER - electronic computers. The computer calculates the design of the spacecraft and controls its flight. The computer predicts the weather. To do this, he has to process a lot of information received both on Earth and from space - from artificial satellites of the Earth. The computer helps to design new cars, planes, factories. The computer on the livestock farm helps to select the best feed composition and determine its portions, controls the temperature, humidity and lighting of greenhouses. The computer calculates the wages the parents receive. The computer is even used in movies. With its help, you can draw anything, then shoot it, and the viewer will never guess that this is not really there.

Of course, the possibilities of a computer are not unlimited. Moreover, he does only what the man has taught him. And the computer has already learned a lot. In any case, a person armed with a computer can perform such miracles that Aladdin with his magic lamp or old Hottabych with his wonderful beard never dreamed of. You can just play with the computer. It replaces the whole room slot machines, as it allows you to play not one, but many different games. The computer helps historians recover and decipher ancient manuscripts written on parchment, birch bark or clay tablets.

Computers sell aviation and Railway tickets, instantly informing cashiers in different parts of the city and even in different cities on which plane or train there are empty seats.

The computer found a place in the school. He can replace the chemical laboratory, clearly showing on the screen what will happen if you combine any substances. With it, it is easy to demonstrate how a steam engine works or how a rocket takes off. It will make learning a foreign language easier. The computer will help to make a list of all the books in the library (such a list is called a catalog) and instantly find in it all the books of any author or on any topic.

The use of computers has made it possible in recent years to create a new method for obtaining images of the internal parts of opaque bodies. This method is called tomography. It allows you to get an image of much better quality than fluoroscopy.

By entrusting computers with mechanical, routine work, we free a person for creative activity. In order for computers to be able to solve the necessary problems, people must constantly transfer their knowledge to computers in the form accurate information, strict rules, error-free algorithms and effective programs. That is why knowledge of the fundamentals of informatics and computer technology, understanding of their role in the life of society, people's activities become an element of human culture, an integral part of general education, an educational subject.

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