History of Computers Quiz

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Questions and Answers

Who invented the first mechanical computer?

  • Charles Babbage (correct)
  • Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
  • Joseph-Marie Jacquard
  • Blaise Pascal

Which device was the first to use punched cards for control?

  • Pascaline
  • Difference Engine
  • Analytical Engine
  • Jacquard Loom (correct)

In what year did Konrad Zuse create the Z1, the first programmable computer?

  • 1840
  • 1943
  • 1672
  • 1890 (correct)

What was the purpose of the Tabulating Machine invented by Herman Hollerith in 1890?

<p>Summarizing information and accounting (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which individual suggested using the binary system for the Analytical Engine?

<p>Augusta Ada Byron (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When was the first electronic computer for business installed?

<p>1954 (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which computer system had a memory to hold both a stored program as well as data?

<p>EDVAC (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who developed the first mass-produced, commercially-available computer with a Graphical User Interface?

<p>Steve Jobs (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

During which generation of computers were general-purpose computers using transistors developed?

<p>Second Generation (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which programming language was developed during the time period of 1958-1962?

<p>COBOL (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Early Computers

  • Z1, developed by Konrad Zuse from 1936 to 1937, was the first programmable computer, using punch tape for input and output.
  • COLOSSUS, developed by Alan Turing in 1943, was the first electronic computer, but it was a fixed-program computer and not programmable.
  • ENIAC, developed by John Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly in 1946, was the first electronic general-purpose computer.
  • UNIVAC 1, designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, was the first commercial computer.

Stored Program Computers

  • EDVAC, designed by Von Neumann in 1952, was the first stored program computer, with a memory to hold both programs and data.
  • IBM 650, introduced in 1954, was the first electronic computer for business.

Programming Languages

  • From 1958 to 1962, several programming languages were developed, including FORTRAN, COBOL, LISP, ALGOL, and BASIC.

Personal Computers

  • Apple I and Apple II, designed and built by Steve Wozniak in 1976-1977, made home computing practicable.
  • MS-DOS Computer, introduced by IBM in 1981, was the first portable computer.
  • Macintosh 128, introduced in 1984, was the first mass-produced computer with a Graphical User Interface.

Generations of Computers

  • First Generation (1946-1959): Vacuum tube-based, used for memory and circuitry.
  • Second Generation (1959-1965): Transistor-based, faster, smaller, and more reliable.
  • Third Generation (1965-1971): Integrated Circuit-based, with multiple transistors and circuitry.
  • Fourth Generation (1971-1980): Microprocessor-based, with VLSI circuits.

History of Computers

  • Abacus, used in Babylonia in 500 B.C., was a mechanical device for performing mathematical calculations.
  • Pascaline, developed by Blaise Pascal in 1642, was a mechanical calculator for addition and subtraction.
  • Stepped Reckoner, developed by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672, was a mechanical calculator for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
  • Jacquard Loom, invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1801, was a mechanical loom controlled by punched cards.
  • Difference Engine, designed by Charles Babbage in 1822 and 1834, was the first mechanical computer.
  • Analytical Engine, developed by Charles Babbage in 1840, used the binary system and was programmable.
  • Scheutzing Calculation Engine, developed by Per Georg Scheutz in 1843, was based on Charles Babbage's difference engine.
  • Tabulating Machine, developed by Herman Hollerith in 1890, was used for summarizing information and accounting.
  • Harvard Mark 1, developed by Howard H. Aiken in 1943, was the first electro-mechanical computer.

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