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Need For Speed THE EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS FROM MEGABYTE TO TERABYTE
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Erik Cheng and Sophia Sunbury
omputers, regarded as a constant in modern society, have evolved significantly over the past 40 years. According to the University of Minnesota, Charles Babbage and his assistant, Lady Ava Lovelace, invented the first computer in 1833– the Analytical Engine– to run calculations. Since then, computers began slowly evolving to add additional functions and inputs, and government agencies like the Census Bureau started adopting computers for faster information processing. However, one of the most significant breakthroughs was the first personal computer, the IBM 5150. Introduced on Aug. 12, 1981, the IBM 5150 shocked the world by demonstrating that anyone could own a personal computer (PC) and operate it relatively easily. The 5150 offered the information processing functions of large government information centers for $1600 (or $5,224 in today's money). The Central Processing Unit, which is considered a computer's brain, takes in information and sends instructions to the rest of the computer. The IBM 5150 utilized a powerful processing chip known as the Intel 8088. Running a t a speed of 4.7 million cycles per second (or 4.7 megahertz), the 8088 Screen text design by Oliver Fichte handled information using 29,000 transistors: small, electricityregulating components that allow electricity to pass through at specific intervals. Modern processors like the Intel i9-10900X or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, considered top-ofthe-line processors, run at jawdropping speeds of up to 5.7 billion cycles per second (or 5.7
38 HIGHLANDER ISSUE II