History of Computers :: Technology Computers Essays

History of Computers One could say that the history of the computer started with the abacus, a wooden frame holding two wires with beads strung on them. The beads were moved around, and the abacus was used to solve arithmetic problems. Blaise Pascal built the first digital computer in 1642, which added numbers that were entered with dials. Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz built a computer in 1694 that could add and multiply (Meyers). Thomas of Colmar (Charles Xavier Thomas) created the first mechanical calculator that added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided (Augarten 37). During this time, in Cambridge, England, Charles Babbage began designing an automatic mechanical calculating machine, called the difference machine. He started manufacturing it in 1823. It was supposed to be steam powered and fully automatic, capable of printing result tables, and run by an instruction program. He worked on it for the next ten years (Meyers). Herman Hollerith and James Powers, who worked for the US Census Bureau, were the first to successfully use punch cards in 1890. Information could be punched into the cards automatically, and they developed devices to read the information, so reading errors were reduced, work flow increased, and the punched cards could be used as easily accessible memory. International Business Machines (IBM), Remington, Burroughs, and other corporations developed better punched cards. These computers used electromechanical devices in which electrical power provided mechanical motion -- like turning the wheels of an adding machine. Such systems included features to: feed in a specified number of cards automatically, add, multiply, and sort feed out cards with punched results (Meyers). They were slow compared to today computers, only processing 50-220 cards per minute, each card only holding 80 characters. Punched cards were a big advancement in their day, providing greater memory st orage. Punched cards performed most of the world first business computing and much scientific computing work (Meyers). World War II created a great need for the military to have computer capacity; trajectory tables and other information were required for new weapons. John Eckert, John Mauchly, and their associates at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering of University of Pennsylvania built a high-speed electronic computer, the ENIAC (Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator) in 19 42.

A House on Fire Essay

Fire is a good servant, helping us with the cooking and providing warmth during those chilly winter nights, but it can also be a bad master when we underestimate its destructive power. It’s for this reason that fire needs to be handled with care. Playing with it can be dangerous, and at times can also prove fatal to those unfortunate enough to find themselves in its path. Our next-door neighbours were lucky in that nobody was injured, but the same thing cannot be said about their beloved house. Although it’s been ten years now, I can still remember the whole thing as if it were yesterday, and each time, the thought of that terrifying episode makes my blood run cold. It was a hot stuffy summer night when it all took place. Back then air-conditioners were not a common sight, so everyone had no choice but to resort to leaving the windows wide open at night to let the breeze in. Not that one could have used the air-conditioner that night anyway – there was a power cut, which in turn also explains the cause of the fire. From accounts following the incident, it seems that it all started because of an oil lamp that had been left on a cupboard in the sitting room downstairs. A strong gust of wind must have come in through the window, knocking the oil lamp over onto the curtain, which burst into flames in no time. The fresh breeze from the open windows kept feeding the hungry flames, which continued eating away at the walls and furniture. The fire spread quickly and soon the sofa, carpets and furniture were ablaze. It was the acrid smell of burning that woke up the occupants of the house from their dreams, to an even worse nightmare. They jumped out of their beds, ran downstairs, and made a dash for the door, but they were stopped in their tracks when part of the ceiling came crushing down in front of them, blocking their only way of escape. It was then that their heart missed a beat, realising for the first time that they were trapped. They remained frozen still, shocked at the sight of that burning inferno. The pungent smoke filled their nostrils and lungs, making them choke and cough. The heat was like a solid wall. Going forward was pointless! Fear rose in their throat at the thought of dying, and they wanted to cry, but they fought down their panic and tried to think clearly of a good plan instead. Spurred by their terror and the will to survive, they ran back upstairs, swift as a  cat, and sprang into the bathroom. While trying to regain lost breath, their father immediately soaked them from head to toe with water. He also got towels, put them under the running water, and placed some of them on their heads. The remaining wet towels were placed under the door to stop the smoke coming in. Then their father opened the window and they all started to scream and yell at the top of their voices. It was that blood curdling sound of screaming which startled me from my sleep. I was not prepared for what I was about to see however. Peering out of my bedroom window I came face to face with our neighbour’s house, completely engulfed by the fire. I rushed to my parents’ room to tell dad, who immediately went to call the fire brigade and the hospital to send a rescue team. In a matter of minutes we heard the shrill noise of the sirens and soon after the fire-engine could be seen speeding down the street, followed by an ambulance and a police car, and coming to a sudden halt just in front of the house. The firemen immediately jumped down from their truck, unrolled the water hosepipes and placed a long ladder against the wall. A brave fireman climbed the ladder to reach the trapped family, while the rest of the team, with hosepipes in hand, fought hard to control the terrible flames. In those frightful moments that followed, it was as if time stood still. The firemen kept directing powerful streams of water into the burning building, but the flames showed no sign of wanting to die. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the trapped neighbours were brought down to safety, to the joy and clapping of all the people who had come on the scene. They had been saved in the nick of time! The paramedics, who until then were on stand-by, lowered each one of them onto the waiting stretchers, and rushed them to hospital. Although they weren’t injured, they were suffering from a terrible shock and had inhaled lots of toxic fumes. The firemen stayed behind until the flames had been completely extinguished. What remained of the house were the blackened walls; the inside was collapsing. That night I couldn’t catch any sleep because of all the commotion. I felt agitated, and the crackling sound of the spent flames and the crashing stones kept me awake all through the night.

Symptoms And Treatment Of Cancer - 888 Words

Introduction Receiving a potentially life-threatening diagnosis, such as cancer, has the potential to be an extremely stressful event and may have long-term effects. Depending on the diagnosis, many cancer patients may experience long-lasting, or chronic stress due to a variety of factors including receiving treatment, experiencing symptoms and side effects of treatment, waiting for test results, and learning that the cancer has recurred. Patients with cancer often report cancer-related posttraumatic stress (National Cancer Institute, 2012). According to the National Cancer Institute, patients who report cancer-related posttraumatic stress often experience repeated frightening thoughts, trouble sleeping, feeling detached from reality, fear, and helplessness (2012). Unfortunately, this stress negatively impacts immune functioning and can lead to tumor progression and metastasis (Hassan et al., 2013). If a cancer diagnosis is stressful, and evidence supports a negative impact of stress on cancer prognosis and recovery, then reducing the stress experienced by cancer patients will lead to better outcomes. Previous research identified social support as a major predictor of reduced stress levels in individuals with cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2012). Social support promotes psychological well-being and posttraumatic growth, a sharp contrast to posttraumatic stress. Posttraumatic growth is defined as the positive psychological change experienced after a highly challengingShow MoreRelatedSymptoms And Treatment Of Cancer Treatments1664 Words   |  7 Pagesdealing with cancer treatments now, slight flaws in our practice after therapy have been present; in doing so, patients have experienced personal and emotional discomfort after therapy. Addressing these issues can become informal to patients, as technology have made it easier for our daily procedures to become convenient. The underlining cause of some confusion is not the patients fault but lack of communicatio n from the health care provider after. Therefore, introducing the drawbacks of cancer treatmentRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Cancer Essay1190 Words   |  5 PagesShort Summary Name Institution affiliation Cancer Over the years, cancer has proved to be a menace and a threat to livelihood. It is a class of diseases that have given doctors a hard time to manage. Cancer is characterized by cell growth that is out of control. The disease manifests itself in over 100 types, and each type is recognized with the type of cell it affected initially. The ugly aspect of cancer is that it causes wreckage to the body when cells divide uncontrollablyRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Cancer1175 Words   |  5 Pagesin the United States get cancer every year (Rosen). Cancer is an uncontrollable growth and division of cells throughout the body, and it is a deadly disease that affects many people. 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Cancer is genetic, meaning there is a gene coded for this disease present that can be passed down through family. This does not mean, though, that one will be diagnosed with this disease if a family member had it and although it can be treated, cancer has the ability to return. WhenRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Cancer1432 Words   |  6 Pagesthe use of any kind of drug to treat a disease, but today, it is most used in a cancer context. These drugs can also be known as cytotoxic (i.e. cell-killing) drugs or as antineoplastic (i.e. anti-cance r) drugs. But what is this complex disease called cancer? Cancer is a multi-step process mainly characterized by uncontrolled cellular growth and proliferation. Chemotherapy is very different from other cancer treatments, such as surgery or radiotherapy. One of the main reasons for this is, althoughRead MoreSymptoms And Treatments Of Cancer1148 Words   |  5 Pagesdeteriorating billions of bodies worldwide, Cancer is one of the biggest killers in the world. Sometimes going undetected, Cancer causes cells to divide uncontrollably and if gone undetected or if treatment fails, is extremely deadly to both humans and animals. Cancer can be located almost anywhere in the body and is able to spread everywhere if uncontained. The treatments most often used to treat Cancer are chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses different medication and chemicalsRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Cancer1997 Words   |  8 PagesDocetaxel also sold as Taxotere or Docecad, is a settled threatening to mitotic chemotherapy pharmaceutical that works by intruding with cell division. Docetaxel is affirmed by the FDA for treatment of secretly advanced or metastatic chest infection, head and neck development, gastric tumor, hormone-adamant prostate danger and non small cell lung disease. It works by preventing the disease cells from isolating into 2 new cells, so it obstructs the development of tumor. Docetaxel ties to microtubulesRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Cancer1997 Words   |  8 PagesDocetaxel also sold as Taxotere or Docecad, is a settled threatening to mitotic chemotherapy pharmaceutical that works by intruding with cell division. Docetaxel is affirmed by the FDA for treatment of secretly advanced or metastatic chest infection, head and neck development, gastric tumor, hormone-adamant prostate danger and non small cell lung disease. It works by preventing the disease cells from isolating into 2 new cells, so it obstructs the development of tumor. Docetaxel ties to microtubules