COMP1220 Tutorial 2 Sem II 2024-25

COMP1220 Tutorial 2 Sem II 2024-25 (for Feb 3-7) The Ancient Roots of Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Algorithms, Writing and the start of the Industrial Revolution See Notes on Computing History Part 1 - Ancient Computing and STEM, Invention of Algorithms, Computers, Prog La...

COMP1220 Tutorial 2 Sem II 2024-25 (for Feb 3-7) The Ancient Roots of Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Algorithms, Writing and the start of the Industrial Revolution See Notes on Computing History Part 1 - Ancient Computing and STEM, Invention of Algorithms, Computers, Prog Languages etc - AGHamiltonTaylor 2024 Lecture Video Topic Week 2 Tues Jan 28 Lecture How historical events shape computing and STEM, Part 1 paradigm shifts. Passcode: v7.Ysr!4 How historical discoveries can be valuable in current STEM, inventions. The Ancient Roots of Mathematics and Computing: The oldest known mathematical table (Ishango Bone) Binary mathematics/algorithms in Ancient Egypt and Ethiopia Week 2 Tues Jan 28 Lecture Manual computing - the Abacus. Japanese Soroban Part 2 abacus in education, and its effect on the brain. Passcode: v7.Ysr!4 The roots of the alphabet: Ancient Egypt writing. Role of writing in organising society, communicating, developing STEM and computing. How symbolic representation of language/information is essential for recording and transmitting information. Week 2 Tues Jan 28 Lecture The first mechanical computers: Part 3 The Egyptian hydraulic water clocks, invented by Passcode: v7.Ysr!4 Tesibius, head of the Library of Alexandria The Antikythera Mechanism for computing the position of the moon and planets in the future or the past Week 2 Wed Jan 29 Lecture The Golden Principle of Al-Khwarithmi of Persia, and the Part 1 origin of the word algorithm, and his role in the Passcode: @1JNX2%# development of algebra, and in introducing Hindu numerals to the world. Week 2 Wed Jan 29 Lecture The roots of the first Industrial Revolution and the key Part 2 role of improved iron-making in inventing the the steam Passcode: @1JNX2%# engine, trains/railways, modern factories, iron bridges, skyscrapers, etc Modern Historians investigate the role of Africans in Jamaica in the invention of improved iron-making used in 1  the industrial revolution and how Henry Cort of Britain came to patent it. Week 2 Wed Jan 29 Lecture How the industrial revolution and colonial expansion Part 3 inspired the invention of the first numeric mechanical Passcode: @1JNX2%# computer by Charles Babbage 1. a. What is the Ishango Bone, where/what time period is it from, and why do Mathematicians find it interesting? b. What is its significance in the history of Mathematics/Computing? Where is it stored and why? 2. a. What is the significance of the Egyptian and Ethiopian Math methods we saw in lecture in terms of computing? b. Referring to the video on Egyptian Math in the slides, carry out the long division examples yourself using their techniques and their numbers. Then change the numbers they used and try with these new numbers. c. Referring to the video on Egyptian Math in the slides, carry out the long division examples yourself using their techniques and their numbers. Then choose your own numbers (such that the result does not have a remainder) and try with these new numbers. d. Carry out the Ethiopian Math multiplication examples with the numbers used in the video. Then choose your own numbers and try with these new numbers. 3. a. In what parts of the world does the early abacus appear? Approximately when was the Abacus invented? 2  b. What are some of the areas of the world in which the abacus is used in commerce today? c. How and why is the soroban abacus used in Japanese education today? d. Draw on paper 9510 on a Japanese Soroban abacus, then add 1, then subtract 2. e. What is involved in subtracting 10000 from 30000 on a Soroban versus a calculator? What is involved in subtracting 20000 from 30000? Which is faster to carry out in terms of number of objects/disks moved versus number of keys pressed on the calculator? f. What effects on the brain did Japanese researchers find that using the Soroban had on children who used it extensively? g. What paradigm of computing machinery does the abacus fall into – manual or mechanical or both? Discuss 4. a. What time period does early writing appear in Egypt? How have the recent archeological finds in Egypt changed the debate about the origin of writing between Egypt and Mesopotamia? b. What form did early Egyptian writing take, and what was it used for initially, and how was it useful as “a tool for organizing society” and communication? c. Which alphabets are descendants of the Egyptian hieroglyph writing system? 3  d. Writing has been described as “the first language and speech computer” because it “allows the recording and transmission of language and speech across distance and across time”. What does this mean (give examples)? e. Computing has been defined as “the manipulation and storage of symbols.” Where symbols include characters, numerals, symbolic representations of pictures, sound/notes, commands (e.g.stop sign,...). In light of this, why is the development of writing important to computing? f. Does computing being defined as “the manipulation and storage of symbols” contradict the notion of computing as carrying out mathematical operations? Why or why not? 5. a. What were the limitations of the water clocks before the inventions of Tesibius (Ctesibius), and how did his early inventions address this? b. How did the series of clocks invented by Tesibius evolve to be the first mechanical computers of time and dates? c. What was the significance of the Library/university of Alexandria in Egypt? What was Tesibius' role there? d. How did the Library/university of Alexandria influence the work/education of Archimedes? e. How was the Library/university of Alexandria destroyed? 6. a. What did the Antikythera Mechanism do? 4  b. What are the main differences between the Antikythera Mechanism and the Tesibius clocks? c. Approximately how old is it, where was it found, and who invented it? 7. a. What is the origin of the word ‘algorithm’? b. Where was Al-Khwarithmi from, and what time period? c. What is the Golden Principle of Al-Khwarithmi (aka Al-Khwarizmi)? What techniques in modern software design look similar to it and why? d. What is the relation of the ancient Hindu numeral notation to the modern numeral notation we use today? What was the role of Al-Khwarithmi in this regard? e. What was the original meaning of the word algebra? What was the role of Al-Khwarithmi in regards to algebra? 8. a. What role did Africans play in the original invention of iron production? What time period and region of Africa was this? What types of tools and art did they make from the iron? b. How was iron used for trade in Africa? What was the significance of pure iron ceremonially in Africa generally? What was their opinion about the general quality of European iron? c. How were bundles of iron used in Africa in trade and ceremonially? 5  d. Why were Africans skilled in ironworking, building, and advanced agriculture targeted in the trans-Atlantic enslavement trade, and what role did these Africans play in building the modern infrastructure of the Americas and the Caribbean? e. How did Europe benefit from these STEM and agricultural skills of the Africans, and what was the wealth generated used for? 9. a. In the 1770’s, a foundry was established at Reeders Pen in Morant Bay, St.Thomas, Jamaica, manned by 76 free and enslaved Africans (58 of the imported 60 Europeans who were initially involved were laid off/fired). History/archeology records that these Africans incorporated the bundling of iron, recycling of scrap iron, and other methods into production of high- quality weapons (including cannons), tools for agriculture and construction etc, parts for buildings, factories, windmills, bridges, ships, etc. What reasons were given for the order by the British government to dismantle the Reeders Pen foundry in 1782? How might the fears of Africans in Jamaica mastering the production of weapons (including cannons), tools, ship hardware etc. have played a role (especially a year after the dramatic climax of the Three-Finger Jack African rebel freedom fighter group uprising in the St.Thomas area of Jamaica that drove fear into the British and was published in newspapers globally in 1781)? b. In a letter to James Watt (inventor of the steam engine), Henry Cort said he “had found out some great secret in the making of iron” in 1782, a few months after the dismantling of the Reeders Pen foundry, and shipping of portions of that foundry to Portsmouth (where Cort lived) in England. Henry Cort patented the ‘Cort process’ in 1783 and in more detail globally in 1784. How was the bundling of iron and recycling of scrap iron methods used at Reeders Pen foundry by free and enslaved Africans incorporated in this improved iron production method and patent? 6 c. How did Henry Cort get into iron production in 1780, what was his prior profession/experience, and how was his foundry doing (profit or loss and quality) prior to 1782 when he “found out some great secret in the making of iron”? d. The ‘Cort process’ invention increased iron production in Britain by fifteen-fold, (1500%), and the process is the basis of iron production methods today. How did this change the quality and the global role of Britain in iron production? e. What title was given to Henry Cort by British (and many other) historians of the industrial revolution? f. What was said about the value of this ‘Cort process’ invention compared to the total value of the original 13 British colonies of the Americas (the original 13 United States)? g. How did this ‘Cort process’ invention contribute to the first phase of the industrial revolution (used in the production of steam engines, trains/railways, iron shipbuilding, iron-based buildings including skyscrapers, tools, heavy industrial machinery, calculators, early mechanical computers, and later automobiles and aircraft)? h. What lesson do you think that can be learned from this history about the intellectual property value of indigenous inventions, science and technology? What could developing countries (and STEM/IT professionals/researchers learn from this now? i. What was the role of former UWI Prof Kofi Agorsah, Dr Goucher, and recently Dr Jenny Bulstrode of Univ of London in uncovering the hidden history of the Reeders Pen foundry? j. How was political/diplomatic manipulation and arms used to undermine African and indigenous governments in the Americas? How did this affect Africa, and the indigenous peoples of the Americas, and is there a connection to the current underdevelopment/upheavals in these regions? 7 10. a. What was the goal of Babbage’s Difference Engine? What were the problems that the British had that he was trying to solve, and how was it affecting the British economy etc? b. What were some of the difficulties he encountered in building it and how did he overcome them? How did his solution affect other areas of the British engineering industry? c. Why did he get funding from the British government for it? 8