History of Computing: 19th & 20th Century

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Questions and Answers

Who developed the Turing-Welchman Bombe?

John Vincent Atanasoff

Alan Turing (correct)

David Packard

Konrad Zuse

What significant proposal did John Vincent Atanasoff submit in 1937?

To develop a mechanical computing device

To design the Turing Machine

To create an electric-only computer (correct)

To build the first digital computer

In what year was the Hewlett Packard Company founded?

1945

1937

1941

1939 (correct)

What was significant about Konrad Zuse's Z3 machine?

It was the world's earliest digital computer. Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary achievement of the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)?

To design the first digital electronic computer in the U.S. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Konrad Zuse flee Berlin during World War II?

Due to the defeat of Nazi Germany. Signup and view all the answers

What was unique about the founding of Hewlett Packard?

Their company name was chosen by a coin toss. Signup and view all the answers

What happened to the Z3 machine during World War II?

It was destroyed during a bombing raid. Signup and view all the answers

What year did Mauchly and Eckert design and build the ENIAC?

1945 Signup and view all the answers

Which computer is recognized as the first practical stored-program computer?

EDSAC Signup and view all the answers

Who were the inventors of the transistor?

William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the programming methods used for the ENIAC?

Plugging and unplugging cables and adjusting switches Signup and view all the answers

What significant computing achievement did EDSAC accomplish in May 1949?

It calculated a table of squares and a list of prime numbers. Signup and view all the answers

Which computer was first recognized as the commercial computer for business and government applications?

UNIVAC Signup and view all the answers

What organization was involved with the funding of the UNIVAC?

The Census Bureau Signup and view all the answers

Which computer is recognized as the world's first digital computer to play music?

CSIRAC Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the features of the new operating system mentioned?

Ability to shake windows for task management Signup and view all the answers

In what year was the iPad unveiled?

2010 Signup and view all the answers

Which company released the Chromebook in 2011?

Google Signup and view all the answers

What significant development did DARPA announce in 2017?

Molecular Informatics program using molecular computing Signup and view all the answers

What was demonstrated by a team at Google in 2019?

Quantum supremacy with specific problem-solving capability Signup and view all the answers

What does the research suggest about chemistry in the context of computing?

It provides a unique way to encode information beyond binary. Signup and view all the answers

Which year did Apple release the Apple Watch?

2015 Signup and view all the answers

What limitation does the 2019 quantum computer demonstration have?

It only addresses algorithmic tasks without applications. Signup and view all the answers

What was the first computer language developed by Grace Hopper?

COBOL Signup and view all the answers

Which programming language was published by John Backus and his team?

FORTRAN Signup and view all the answers

What significant invention did Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce unveil in 1958?

Integrated circuit Signup and view all the answers

What was the main feature of Douglas Engelbart's demonstration in 1968?

Introduction of the mouse and GUI Signup and view all the answers

Which operating system did Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie help develop?

UNIX Signup and view all the answers

What major advancement in computer memory was introduced by Intel in 1970?

Dynamic Access Memory (DRAM) Signup and view all the answers

In what year did Grace Hopper develop COBOL?

1953 Signup and view all the answers

What was a key impact of the development of UNIX in 1969?

Made large-scale networking practical Signup and view all the answers

What role did Joseph Marie Jacquard play in the history of computers?

He invented a loom that used punched cards. Signup and view all the answers

What was the main reason for the failure of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine?

Insufficient technological advancement at the time. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes Ada Lovelace's contribution to computing?

She wrote the first computer program for Babbage's Analytical Engine. Signup and view all the answers

How did computers of the early 20th century differ from the designs of the 19th century?

They became larger and more powerful. Signup and view all the answers

What significant technological advancement did Jacquard's loom demonstrate?

Automation through the use of instructions. Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the lasting impacts of Ada Lovelace's notes on Babbage's Analytical Engine?

They served as the foundation for modern programming techniques. Signup and view all the answers

In what year did Ada Lovelace write her first computer program?

1848 Signup and view all the answers

What is one characteristic of the computers designed in the 19th century compared to modern computers?

They were often large and occupied entire rooms. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

19th Century

In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a loom that used punched cards to automatically weave fabric designs, foreshadowing the use of punch cards in early computers.
The first computer program was written in 1848 by Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician. Lovelace's program translated a paper on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine from French to English.
English mathematician Charles Babbage proposed the "Difference Engine," a steam-driven machine designed to compute tables of numbers. The project was funded by the British government but abandoned due to limited technology at the time.

20th Century

In 1937, John Vincent Atanasoff proposed the first electric-only computer, without mechanical parts.
The world's first digital computer, the Z3, was completed in 1941 by German engineer Konrad Zuse. It was destroyed during a bombing raid in World War II.
Also in 1941, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) was designed by John Vincent Atanasoff and his student, Clifford Berry. The ABC was the first electronic computer in the U.S. and was capable of storing information in its main memory.
The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer built in 1945 at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1947, the transistor was invented by William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain at Bell Laboratories. This invention replaced vacuum tubes in computers, paving the way for smaller and more efficient devices.
The world's first commercial computer, UNIVAC, was built in 1946 by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert for business and government applications.
The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), the first practical stored-program computer, was built in 1949 at the University of Cambridge.
In 1949, Australia's first digital computer, CSIRAC, was built by scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. CSIRAC holds the distinction of being the first computer to play music.

Late 20th Century

Grace Hopper developed the first computer language in 1953, which later became known as COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language).
In 1954, the FORTRAN programming language (FORmula TRANslation) was developed by John Backus and his team at IBM.
Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce unveiled the integrated circuit, also known as the computer chip, in 1958. Kilby went on to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for this invention.
In 1968, Douglas Engelbart presented a prototype of the modern computer at the Fall Joint Computer Conference, showcasing a mouse, a graphical user interface (GUI), and other user-friendly features.
Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and a group of developers at Bell Labs created the UNIX operating system in 1969, which made large-scale networking of computers possible.
The Intel 1103, the first Dynamic Access Memory (DRAM) chip, was unveiled by Intel in 1970.

21st Century

Apple released its flagship handheld tablet, the iPad, in 2010.
Google launched the Chromebook, which runs on Google Chrome OS, in 2011.
Apple introduced the Apple Watch in 2015, and Microsoft released Windows 10 in the same year.
The world's first reprogrammable quantum computer was created in 2016.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched its "Molecular Informatics" program in 2017, exploring the use of molecules as computers.
Google demonstrated quantum supremacy in 2019, highlighting the potential of quantum computers to outperform classical computers for specific tasks.

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Description

Explore the pivotal inventions and developments in computing from the 19th to the 20th century. Learn about key figures such as Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, and John Vincent Atanasoff, along with their groundbreaking contributions to technology. This quiz will test your knowledge of early computers and their evolution.