Types Of Computer System || Analog Hybrid and Digital Computer System

There are various methods on which computers can be classified. The classification may depend upon the size, technology, area, of application, type of data processed, etc.

Generally, computers are divided into three main parts, These three are followings:

1. Analog computers
2. Hybrid computers
3. Digital computers

Analog computers

An analog computer or analogous computer is a form of computer that uses the continuously changeable aspects of physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the problem being solved. 

Analog computers are computers that work on continuous data. Analog computers are used to measure physical quantities like pressure, temperature, speed, etc.

Analog computers were widely used in scientific and industrial applications where digital computers of the time lacked sufficient performance. Analog computers can have a very wide range of complexity.

Analog computers are used to measure physical quantities like pressure, temperature, speed, etc. These computers accept input in the form of signals and convert them into numeric values. For e.g. A thermometer does not perform any calculations but measure the temperature of the body. Analog computers are faster than digital computers are mainly used for scientific and engineering purposes, because they deal with quantities that vary constantly. Analog computers are faster than digital computers but they are not as accurate as digital computers. That's why they are less commonly used.

DATA FLOW IN ANALOG COMPUTER

Hybrid computer

Hybrid computers are computers that exhibit features of analog computers and Digital computers. The digital component normally serves as the controller and provides logical and numerical operations, while the analog component often serves as a solver of differential equations and other mathematically complex equations. The first desktop hybrid computing system was the Hycomp 250, released by Packard Bell in 1961.

The uses of hybrid computers are increasing day by day as there number of areas in the real world where we need both analog and digital computers. For example: In a hospital, there may be a number of devices like E.C.G. machine etc.which are used to measure the patient's heartbeat, temperature, and other information. This is done by analog computers. The information received from these analog computers is then supplied to digital computers to generate reports. Thus, this whole system uses hybrid computers.

Digital computers

Digital computers are computers that work on discontinuous or discrete data. These computers convert the inputs into the binary language of 0's and 1's. They carry out operations on binary data at a very fast rate and generate output in a user understandable language. These are computers basically work by counting and adding the binary digits. Accuracy is the main advantage of digital computers. These computers are more accurate, faster, and reliable than analog computers. Due to these features, they are the most commonly used computers in homes and offices. The real-life example of a digital computer is digital watches. Nowadays, the computer used for the purpose of business and education is also an example of digital computers. In digital computers, data flows in the form of the clock pulse.