Computer History and Technology Quiz

Questions and Answers

What is a computer?

A computer is a programmable machine that can perform arithmetic and logical operations automatically.

What are modern computers capable of?

Modern computers can perform a wide range of tasks through programs.

Where are computers used as control systems?

Computers are used in industrial and consumer products as control systems.

When were the first digital electronic calculating machines developed?

The first digital electronic calculating machines were developed during World War II. Signup and view all the answers

What are the components of a computer?

Computers consist of at least one processing element, such as a central processing unit (CPU), and computer memory. Peripheral devices include input, output, and input/output devices. Signup and view all the answers

What did the term "computer" originally refer to?

The term "computer" originally referred to a human who carried out calculations or computations. Signup and view all the answers

When was the first known use of the term "computer"?

The first known use of the term "computer" was in a 1613 book. Signup and view all the answers

What were some early devices used to aid computation?

Devices have been used to aid computation for thousands of years, including the abacus and slide rule. Other early mechanical devices for calculation and measurement include the astrolabe and sector. Signup and view all the answers

Who proposed the principle of the modern computer?

The principle of the modern computer was proposed by Alan Turing in his seminal 1936 paper. Signup and view all the answers

What is the current state of computers compared to their earlier versions?

Computers have advanced enormously since ENIAC in 1945 and modern computers have billions or even trillions of bytes of memory. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

A computer is a programmable machine that can perform arithmetic and logical operations automatically.
Modern computers can perform a wide range of tasks through programs.
They are used in industrial and consumer products as control systems.
The first digital electronic calculating machines were developed during World War II.
Computers consist of at least one processing element, such as a central processing unit (CPU), and computer memory.
Peripheral devices include input, output, and input/output devices.
The term "computer" originally referred to a human who carried out calculations or computations.
The first known use of the term "computer" was in a 1613 book.
Devices have been used to aid computation for thousands of years, including the abacus and slide rule.
Other early mechanical devices for calculation and measurement include the astrolabe and sector.

Charles Babbage invented the first mechanical computer in the early 19th century.
The first modern analog computer was invented by Sir William Thomson in 1872.
The differential analyzer was built by H. L. Hazen and Vannevar Bush at MIT starting in 1927.
The Torpedo Data Computer was developed by the US Navy in 1938.
The Z3 was the world's first working electromechanical programmable digital computer, built by Konrad Zuse in 1941.
The Colossus was the world's first electronic digital programmable computer, built by Tommy Flowers in 1943.
The ENIAC was the first electronic programmable computer built in the US, developed by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania in 1945.
The principle of the modern computer was proposed by Alan Turing in his seminal 1936 paper.
Purely electronic circuit elements soon replaced their mechanical and electromechanical equivalents, at the same time that digital calculation replaced analog.
Modern computers are based on the principles proposed by Turing and use electronic circuit elements to perform digital calculations.
Alan Turing proposed the stored-program computer in 1936.
The Manchester Baby was the world's first stored-program computer.
Grace Hopper developed the first compiler for a programming language.
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in computer designs in the 1950s.
The MOSFET was invented in 1959 and led to the microcomputer revolution.
The integrated circuit (IC) was invented by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce.
Noyce's IC was the first true monolithic IC chip.
MOS IC technology enabled the integration of over 10,000 transistors on a single chip.
The Intel 4004 was the first single-chip microprocessor.
System on a Chip (SoCs) are complete computers on a microchip.
Computers have advanced enormously since ENIAC in 1945.
Mobile computers were heavy and ran from mains power.
The first laptops removed the need for mains power by incorporating batteries.
Portable computers grew in popularity in the 2000s.
SoCs, complete computers on a microchip, power smartphones and tablets.
Computers can be classified by architecture, size, form-factor, and purpose.
Hardware covers all tangible physical parts of a computer.
A general-purpose computer has four main components: ALU, control unit, memory, and I/O devices.
The CPU is composed of the control unit, ALU, and registers.
Modern computers have billions or even trillions of bytes of memory.