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Abacus—First Calculating Device

                  The  first  step  towards  computing  was  the  invention  of  the
                  Abacus around 3000 years ago in China. It is a wooden frame

                  with beads on parallel wires. It is used to do simple calculations
                  like addition and subtraction. This device is used to calculate
                  numbers at a fast speed.
                                                                                                           Abacus
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                     Abacus is also used in schools as an aid in teaching the numeral system.


                  Pascaline Adding Machine


                  In 1642, a mathematician, Blaise Pascal
                  invented the calculating machine called
                  Pascaline  adding machine when he
                  was 19 years old. The numbers were fed

                  into the machine by dialling them on
                  the wheels. This device is believed to be
                                                                               Pascaline               Blaise Pascal
                  the first mechanical calculator in the

                  world. This machine was capable of performing only addition and subtraction.
                   Clickipedia



                     In 1617, John Napier invented the calculating device called Napier bones. It was
                     able to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

                  Leibniz Step Reckoner


                  In 1672, a mathematician,  Gottfried  Wilhelm
                  Leibniz expanded  Blaise Pascal’s ideas and
                  invented the digital mechanical calculator called
                  ‘Step Reckoner’. It was the first calculator that

                  could perform all four arithmetic operations i.e.,                      Leibniz Step Reckoner
                  addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

                  Difference Engine and Analytical Engine

                  In 1822, a  mathematician,  Charles Babbage  developed  a
                  steam-driven  calculating  machine,  that  was  the  size of  a

                  room which he called the Difference Engine. The Difference
                  Engine consisted of a series of gears  and levers that  could
                                                                                                    Charles Babbage



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