INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Credit Unit: 2
Course lecturer:
Engr. Afolabi AWODEYI
[Ph.D(in view)], M.Eng., PGDE, PGD
Lecture hours:
Email:
Examination – 70% [Answer 4 out of 6 questions]
C.A – 20% [ Assignment, Tests and Quizzes]
Attendance – 10% [70% Attendance]
1
,Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course the student should be able to explain:
1. The profession of computer engineering;
2. The roles played by computer engineers; and
3. The historical development of computers.
Course Contents
i) Historical development of modern computing and computer engineering profession.
ii) Roles and responsibilities of the computer engineer.
iii) Career paths and development (public and private sectors, academic/research and
industry).
iv) Overview of computer engineering design.
v) Computer devices/hardware in the age of smartness and Internet of Things and People
(IoTs and P).
vi) Identification of computer software and hardware components and operational
relationships (central processing units, input/output devices, operating systems,
languages)
2
,Week 1
Historical Development of Modern Computing and the Computer Engineering
Profession
The development of modern computing and the computer engineering profession is a rich and
complex history that spans centuries. It involves the evolution of mathematical tools, the
development of mechanical devices, the creation of electronic computers, and the formalization
of computer engineering as a profession. Below is an extensive exploration of this history.
1. Pre-20th Century Foundations
a. Early Computational Tools
The foundation of modern computing lies in the development of tools and techniques used to
simplify and automate calculations. These tools were created to assist in commerce,
engineering, and scientific exploration. Below is an expanded discussion of three significant
early computational tools:
1. Abacus (circa 2400 BCE)
The abacus is considered one of the earliest and most enduring computational devices.
Origin and Design:
o The abacus was first developed in Mesopotamia, later refined in ancient China,
Greece, and Rome.
o Its design typically features a wooden or metal frame with rods or wires, on
which beads or stones slide.
o Different civilizations customized the abacus to their numbering systems. For
example:
3
, The Chinese suanpan has two beads above and five beads below the
central bar, allowing calculations in both base-10 and base-16 systems.
The Roman abacus used grooves and movable counters for arithmetic.
Usage:
o Primarily used for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and even
square root calculations.
o Merchants, traders, and mathematicians relied on it for its speed and accuracy
in computations.
Legacy:
o The abacus remains a useful teaching tool, helping students understand place
value and arithmetic.
o Modern computer architecture reflects the concept of positional representation
used in the abacus.
2. Napier’s Bones (1617)
John Napier, a Scottish mathematician, invented Napier’s Bones, which provided a manual
method for performing multiplication and division.
Design:
o Napier’s Bones consist of a set of rods or strips, often made from ivory, wood,
or metal, inscribed with multiplication tables.
o Each rod represents a digit, and when aligned, the product or quotient can be
read off the intersection of the rods.
Innovation:
o Napier’s work was based on his earlier discovery of logarithms, which
simplified complex calculations by converting multiplication into addition.
4
Credit Unit: 2
Course lecturer:
Engr. Afolabi AWODEYI
[Ph.D(in view)], M.Eng., PGDE, PGD
Lecture hours:
Email:
Examination – 70% [Answer 4 out of 6 questions]
C.A – 20% [ Assignment, Tests and Quizzes]
Attendance – 10% [70% Attendance]
1
,Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course the student should be able to explain:
1. The profession of computer engineering;
2. The roles played by computer engineers; and
3. The historical development of computers.
Course Contents
i) Historical development of modern computing and computer engineering profession.
ii) Roles and responsibilities of the computer engineer.
iii) Career paths and development (public and private sectors, academic/research and
industry).
iv) Overview of computer engineering design.
v) Computer devices/hardware in the age of smartness and Internet of Things and People
(IoTs and P).
vi) Identification of computer software and hardware components and operational
relationships (central processing units, input/output devices, operating systems,
languages)
2
,Week 1
Historical Development of Modern Computing and the Computer Engineering
Profession
The development of modern computing and the computer engineering profession is a rich and
complex history that spans centuries. It involves the evolution of mathematical tools, the
development of mechanical devices, the creation of electronic computers, and the formalization
of computer engineering as a profession. Below is an extensive exploration of this history.
1. Pre-20th Century Foundations
a. Early Computational Tools
The foundation of modern computing lies in the development of tools and techniques used to
simplify and automate calculations. These tools were created to assist in commerce,
engineering, and scientific exploration. Below is an expanded discussion of three significant
early computational tools:
1. Abacus (circa 2400 BCE)
The abacus is considered one of the earliest and most enduring computational devices.
Origin and Design:
o The abacus was first developed in Mesopotamia, later refined in ancient China,
Greece, and Rome.
o Its design typically features a wooden or metal frame with rods or wires, on
which beads or stones slide.
o Different civilizations customized the abacus to their numbering systems. For
example:
3
, The Chinese suanpan has two beads above and five beads below the
central bar, allowing calculations in both base-10 and base-16 systems.
The Roman abacus used grooves and movable counters for arithmetic.
Usage:
o Primarily used for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and even
square root calculations.
o Merchants, traders, and mathematicians relied on it for its speed and accuracy
in computations.
Legacy:
o The abacus remains a useful teaching tool, helping students understand place
value and arithmetic.
o Modern computer architecture reflects the concept of positional representation
used in the abacus.
2. Napier’s Bones (1617)
John Napier, a Scottish mathematician, invented Napier’s Bones, which provided a manual
method for performing multiplication and division.
Design:
o Napier’s Bones consist of a set of rods or strips, often made from ivory, wood,
or metal, inscribed with multiplication tables.
o Each rod represents a digit, and when aligned, the product or quotient can be
read off the intersection of the rods.
Innovation:
o Napier’s work was based on his earlier discovery of logarithms, which
simplified complex calculations by converting multiplication into addition.
4
