Information Technology and Its Evolution (Part 3)

 

(Continued)

Mechanical Era (1400s to 1800s AD): The Age of Machines

    Although Abacus is a mechanical device of a sort, early versions of it were invented long ago as has been discussed in the previous section, but it took different shapes over time in different cultures. Moreover, there were not any remarkable mechanical inventions besides Abacus in earlier times; opposingly, from the 1400s onwards (before the advent of electricity) mechanical devices started pouring in, earning this period the title “Mechanical Era”.

 

    Now, significant inventions of this era and their brief overviews will be discussed below:- 

Printing Press (1440)

    Invented around 1440 printing press is a mechanical device that presses an inked surface settling upon a print medium (paper, cloth, etc.), thereby imprinting the ink. The invention allowed the bulk production of uniform printed matter, mostly text in the form of flyers, books, and papers. It was invented by German goldsmith and inventor Johannes Gutenberg. It became the basis of the industrial revolution. The printing press is seen as great predecessor of modern-day plotters and laserjet printers, and other technologies before these e.g., lithography, offset printing, screen printing, dot matrix, and thermal.

Napier's Logs and Bones (1614-1617)

    John Napier, a Scottish mathematician discovered logarithms in 1614 who then proceeded to invent Napier's Bones/Rods in 1617. It was the most significant calculating device of the time after Abacuses.

Logarithmic Scales (1620)

    English mathematician Edmund Gunter invented Logarithmic (or Gunter's scales) in 1620, used for numerical calculations, trigonometry, and navigational purposes. 

Slide Rule (1622)

    Also known as slipstick is the mechanical computer invented by English mathematician William Oughtred in 1622 based on Napier's logarithms and Gunter's Scales, who combined two of such scales to make an advanced "Slide rule". Its primary functions include multiplication, division, exponents, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry, but typically not addition and subtraction.

Sorry for being late this time due to some issues. InShaAllah next part will be published on time. Stay tuned with us as the next part is scheduled to be published on Monday dated 23-11-2020, where we will continue discussing the remaining part of  "Mechanical Era".