Exhibits
The Computing Revolution
From the ancient abacus to molecular machines
Part of the merger between the Museum of Science and the Computer Museum, this exhibit highlights the history of computing and uses historical artifacts to illustrate how human needs have led to new technologies.
The exhibition is divided into several theme areas: computer prehistory, World War II, business machines, personal computers, the Internet, and the 21st century.
See ancient Greek calculators and a Chinese abacus, and learn about plans for a fully-functional mechanical computer in the 1840s that was never built.
Parts of Whirlwind I, MIT' s first digital computer, are on display, along with archival video of the machine in use. The Whirlwind was one of many new technologies that reflect the modern, digital electronic computing developed under the pressing circumstances of World War II.
This exhibit also includes a recreation of the control room of a Universal Automatic (UNIVAC I) computer. With the introduction of this machine, computers were no longer part of the secret world of the military; they emerged as business machines. They tracked inventory, processed payroll checks, and sorted information. Also on view is a collection of early personal computers, including an Altair 8800, Apple II, IBM PC, and Macintosh.
See how the Internet has fundamentally changed the way we use computers, making them the most powerful information tools in human history. A highlight of this area is a computer station where you can select websites from all over the planet, and see the actual route your request takes on a large projected globe.
Looking ahead, the computers that we carry around with us, like PDAs and web-enabled cell phones, promise to make us even more reliant on these machines, which seem to keep getting smaller. Learn how nanotechnology is making computers so small that molecular machines could now be within reach.
| Format | Exhibit |
| Grades | K – Adult |
| Location | Blue Wing, Level 2 — Museum of Science, Boston |
| Website | Visit The Computing Revolution's website |
The Computing Revolution
+ View Detailed Standard Connections
Primary Connections:
ITEA Standards For Technological Literacy (2000)
(National)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
Secondary Connections:
ITEA Standards For Technological Literacy (2000)
(National)
- The Nature of Technology > Characteristics and scope of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Technology and Society > Effects of technology on the environment (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 3 – 5)
- Technology and Society > Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 3 – 5)
- The Nature of Technology > Characteristics and scope of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
References:
ITEA Standards For Technological Literacy (2000)
(National)
- The Nature of Technology > Characteristics and scope of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
- The Nature of Technology > Relationships among technologies (Grade: 6 – 8)
- The Designed World > Information and communication technologies (Grade: 3 – 5)
- The Designed World > Information and communication technologies (Grade: K – 2)
- The Designed World > Information and communication technologies (Grade: K – 2)
- Technology and Society > Influence of technology on history (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Abilities for a Technological World > Use and maintain technological products and systems (Grade: 6 – 8)
– View Concise Standard Connections
Primary Connections:
ITEA Standards For Technological Literacy (2000)
(National)
- Technology and Society > 04.I Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
Making decisions about the use of technology involves weighing the trade-offs between the positive and negative effects. - Technology and Society > 04.D Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
The use of technology affects humans in various ways, including their safety, comfort, choices, and attitudes about technology's development and use. - Technology and Society > 04.F Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
The development and use of technology poses ethical issues.
Secondary Connections:
ITEA Standards For Technological Literacy (2000)
(National)
- The Nature of Technology > 01.K Characteristics and scope of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
The rate of technological development and diffusion is increasing rapidly. - Technology and Society > 05.L Effects of technology on the environment (Grade: 9 – 12)
Decisions regarding the implementation of technologies involve the weighing of trade-offs between predicted positive and negative effects on the environment. - Technology and Society > 04.J Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
Ethical considerations are important in the development, selection, and use of technologies. - Technology and Society > 04.H Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 9 – 12)
Changes caused by the use of technology can range from gradual to rapid and from subtle to obvious. - Technology and Society > 04.E Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
Technology, by itself, is neither good nor bad, but decisions about the use of products and systems can result in desirable or undesirable consequences. - Technology and Society > 04.C Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 3 – 5)
The use of technology can have unintended consequences. - Technology and Society > 04.B Cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology (Grade: 3 – 5)
When using technology, results can be good or bad. - The Nature of Technology > 01.G Characteristics and scope of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
The development of technology is a human activity and is the result of individual and collective needs and the ability to be creative.
References:
ITEA Standards For Technological Literacy (2000)
(National)
- The Nature of Technology > 01.H Characteristics and scope of technology (Grade: 6 – 8)
Technology is closely linked to creativity, which has resulted in innovation. - The Nature of Technology > 03.D Relationships among technologies (Grade: 6 – 8)
Technological systems often interact with one another. - The Designed World > 17.F Information and communication technologies (Grade: 3 – 5)
Communication technology is the transfer of messages among people and/or machines over distances through the use of technology. - The Designed World > 17.C Information and communication technologies (Grade: K – 2)
People use symbols when they communicate by technology. - The Designed World > 17.B Information and communication technologies (Grade: K – 2)
Technology enables people to communicate by sending and receiving information over a distance. - Technology and Society > 07.O Influence of technology on history (Grade: 9 – 12)
The Information Age places emphasis on the processing and exchange of information. - Abilities for a Technological World > 12.J Use and maintain technological products and systems (Grade: 6 – 8)
Use computers and calculators in various applications.
The Computing Revolution
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The Computing Revolution
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The Computing Revolution
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