Transcript capron_8_ppt_app

Computers:
Tools for an Information Age
Appendix
The Continuing Story of the Computer Age:
Past, Present, and Future
Copyright © 2003 by Prentice Hall
Objectives
Describe the generations of computer design
leading up to the present
Describe the story of personal computer
development
Explain the underlying concepts and terms of
artificial intelligence
Explain the fundamentals of expert systems,
robotics, and virtual reality
Give examples of the impact these fields have
on business and everyday life
Copyright © 2003 by Prentice Hall
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The Computer Age Begins
In about 55 years, we have leapfrogged
through four generations of technology
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The vacuum tube
The transistor
The integrated circuit
The microprocessor
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Personal Computer Development
Early personal computers
The IBM PC standard
The Microsoft/Intel standard
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The Internet Revolution
Two critical points in the history of the Internet
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ARPANET – a network of computers
Designed as a Defense Department project
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The World Wide Web
Dr. Tim Berners-Lee came up with the notion of hyperlinks
Marc Andreesen produced the first graphical browser
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Artificial Intelligence
Explores how computers can be used
for tasks that require the human
characteristics of intelligence,
imagination, and intuition
Several subsets of interest
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Problem solving
Natural languages
Expert systems
Robotics
The AI debate
Data mining
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Virtual Reality (VR)
User physically interacts with a
computer-created environment
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Immersion – the user becomes
totally absorbed with the interaction
VR alters the user’s perception
of reality
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Appeals to several senses at once
Presents images that respond
immediately to the user’s actions
and movements
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Potential VR Applications
Consumers can browse for products in a
virtual showroom
A security guard can patrol corridors and
offices in remote locations
Doctors and medical students will be able
to experiment with new procedures on
simulated patients rather than real ones
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