Personal computers, also known as PCs, are used in various ways. PCs have a wide range of uses, but the typical PC is primarily used for work, education, and gaming. A common PC these days usually includes the system itself, a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. But how did computers get to what they are today? Computers themselves are devices used to perform certain tasks or operations. So what was the first computer? Since there are many different classifications of computers, there is no simple answer. There are abacuses, also known as “counting boards”, which are calculating tools used for basic mathematics such as addition, division, subtraction and multiplication and made their first appearance between 2700-2300 BC (Ifrah). However, the first mechanical computer was created by Charles Babbage in 1822 (Babbage). As a result, computers have been around for centuries, but it wasn't until the mid-1900s that computers became more advanced and developed. In 1943 the first digital computer was invented by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania. This computer took 3 years to complete, taking up more than 1,800 square feet and weighing a total of 50 tons. This computer was the first digital computer to be excluded by a judge because it was the first fully functional one (Bellis). Continuing in the story, the first computer that had stored memory, was developed by a group of code breakers working for the Navy during World War II and was the first computer capable of performing tasks, without memory. Later, MIT created the “Whirlwind Machine,” which revolutionized computers equipped with RAM, also known as “random access memory,” a type of computer memory that can be accessed without… paper…ry. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~elf/abacus/history.html(Babbage) University of Minnesota (2013, April 3). Charles Babbage Institute: Who was Charles Babbage? Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.cbi.umn.edu/about/babbage.htmlBellis, M. (n.d.). John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry: the first fully electronic computer. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa050898.htm(Strickland) Strickland, J. (2009, February 26). How Moore's Law works. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.howstuffworks.com/moores-law.htmZander, D. (February 20, 2013). The parts of a computer and what they do. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.build-my-home-computer.com/parts-of-a-computer.htmlNote: I have built a PC before and know all the parts so I include this link the reader if interested