Final answer:
Moore's Law states that microprocessor performance doubles approximately every two years, named after Gordon Moore. Over an eight-year period, this exponential growth would result in a sixteen-fold increase in performance compared to the original capabilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Moore's Law, microprocessor performance doubles every two years. This observation, named after Gordon Moore, reflects the remarkable and consistent growth in computing power over the years since the invention of the integrated circuit. To see how Moore's Law manifests over a period of eight years, we consider that if performance doubles every two years, after the first doubling period (two years), it would be two times the original performance. After four years, it would double again, making it four times the original. So, after eight years, you would see two more doublings - first to eight times and then to sixteen times the original performance.
For example, an Apple II computer manufactured around 1980 had far less computational capability than modern computers. Over successive generations, due to engineers' efforts to follow Moore's Law, computers have experienced exponential growth in power, leading to today's advanced desktops and laptops.