Dawn of the Information Age

About the lecture

In this mini-lecture, we discuss the ages of human advancement up until the current Information Age. In particular, we consider: (i) the age of transforming materials, such as stone, bronze, and iron tools; (ii) the age of transforming energy, such as water, steam, electric, and combustion power; (iii) the age of transforming information, such as computing information and global information companies and networks; (iv) the beginning of the Information Age, marked by the first computer processor, Intel 4004; (v) the first computers in the late 1940s that used vacuum tubes and which were made more efficient with the use of transistors in the 50s and 60s; and (vi) computers from the 70s onwards that use microprocessors with increased efficiency and reliability.

About the lecturer

Oleg Makarovskiy is an Associate Professor in the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Nottingham. His research focuses on experimental semiconductor physics, quantum phenomena in semiconductor nanostructures, and their applications in functional electronic and optoelectronic devices.