CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
            According to the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English data is information prepared for and operated on a computer programmer.
            The preservation of data is as old as man himself. In the earlier times, men were capable of storing information in their brains and passing them on form one person to another by mouths. But the more authentic one were data inscribed on stone tablets, on paper scrolls and eve on walls so that generation later can still make reference to them if properly preserved. However, there were limitations on how for one could rely on these methods of preserving data. As time progressed, man continued in searching for as satisfactory data processing/preservation machine. It was due to the numerous problems encountered by man when dealing with large numbers that gave birth to the invention of various mechanisms for preserving data.
            Although man used pebbles, grains of corn, figures and toes as well as other smaller objects. The problems on how to handle pebble conveniently was solved in the Tigress-Euphrates valley about  (5000 years ago by designing a clay board with grooves into which the pebble could be placed. The device enable the grooves to be moved from outside on the instruction to the other to facilitates counting. The technique which was the forerunner of the abacus was adopted and modified by the Chinese and Japanese
            The Abacus comprises of several rows of beads which slide in sticks or wires mounted in a rectangular frame. The frame of the abacus is divided by a cross number so that each row of the bead has a sector with four or five beads and another sector with one bead (two on some abacuses.)
            The abacus, however could not solve man’s arithmetic problems efficiently and effectively so, man’s search for a better and improved method continued.
            By the seventeenth century Jon Nappier a Scottish theologian and mathematician developed a calculating aid know as Nappiers bone. It consisted of a set of roles each of which had a multiplication table marked on it. He later developed logarithms – a tabular system of numbers which simplified arithmetic operations with logarithms, multiplications, divisions, additions, etc were modified and simplified.
            In 1642, Blaise Pascal developed a digital counter with teeth numbering 0 – 9. he invented this  device to assist in adding long columns of figures in his fathers tax office in frame. The machine consisted of a row of wheels with teeth. The first wheel denoted units, the second tens etc. when the first wheel was turned six spaces six was shown in windows at the top of the machine. If the wheel was turned tow more spaces the result was eight, the addition of another seven caused that indicator to proceed through 0 to 6. in this instance, a lever on the units dial must have moved the tens dial one tenth (1/10) of a revolution so that the machine has carried one indicating a total of 16 Pascals machine was only capable of performing addition and subtraction but based on his effort other mechanical machines were developed.