The back-and-forth motion of a swing is an example of a pendulum. We see pendulums in other areas of our lives as well, such as in grandfather (also known as longcase) clocks.ther factors, including a pendulum's length, can also affect its motion. Background. A pendulum is an object hung from a fixed point that swings back and forth under the action of gravity.
More than a century later, however, the worldâs first computer was actually built. 1890: Herman Hollerith designs a punch card system to calculate the 1880 census, accomplishing the task in just three years and saving the government $5 million.
Considered the  father of the computer , he conceptualized and invented the first mechanical computer in the early 19th century. After working on his revolutionary difference engine, designed to aid in navigational calculations, in 1833 he realized that a much more general design, an Analytical Engine, was possible.