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Questions and Answers
What was the original job title for individuals who performed calculations?
What is the primary function of a tally stick?
In which civilization was the abacus first invented?
Which mathematical operations could be performed using Napier’s Bones?
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What counting method did early humans primarily rely on?
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What significant contribution did John Napier make to mathematics?
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What was the primary use of the abacus in ancient civilizations?
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In which year was the first use of the word 'computer' recorded?
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Who is recognized as the first programmer for writing the world's first computer program?
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What innovation did Herman Hollerith create to assist in summarizing information for the U.S. census?
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Which computer was the first to use binary math?
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What year was the Scheutzian Calculation Engine invented?
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Which device is considered the first electronic digital computing device?
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What was the main purpose of the Analytical Engine as conceived by Charles Babbage?
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What significant problem did the U.S. Census Bureau face before the invention of the Tabulating Machine?
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Who invented the Harvard Mark I?
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What innovation did Bouchon introduce to the loom?
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Which problem did Falçon's loom face compared to Bouchon’s loom?
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What year was the Jacquard loom invented?
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Which of the following was a key contribution of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz?
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Who is credited with being the first computer programmer?
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What was the main purpose of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine?
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Which characteristic made the Arithmometer significant?
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Why were Babbage's computing machines not constructed during his time?
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What was the primary function of the Harvard Mark I?
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Who is credited with coining the term 'debugging'?
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What does ENIAC stand for?
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What was a significant limitation of ENIAC?
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Which computer is known as the first commercial computer delivered to a business client?
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What was the first portable computer released?
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Which notable characteristic did the EDVAC have?
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Which company is recognized as the first computer company?
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What is the primary purpose of Napier's Bones?
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Which invention is directly associated with logarithmic calculations?
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What limitation did the Pascaline specifically have?
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Which calculating machine could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division?
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What was the significance of Leibniz's invention in modern computing?
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What type of patterns did the Bouchon Loom aim to create in textiles?
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Who invented the calculating machine called the Pascaline?
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What year was the Slide Rule invented?
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Study Notes
History of Computing
- Early Calculations: Humans were originally “computers” who performed calculations using mathematical expressions.
- Tally Sticks: Early memory aids involved sticks and stones, later evolving to notched sticks, knotted cords, and symbols written on hides, parchment, and eventually paper.
- Abacus: Invented in Babylonia (2400 B.C.), the abacus was used for basic arithmetic operations.
- Napier’s Bones: Invented by John Napier in 1614, these rods were used to perform multiplication, division, and square and cube roots.
- Slide Rule: Invented by William Oughtred in 1622, the slide rule used logarithms to perform multiplication, division, roots, logarithms and trigonometry.
- Pascaline: Invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642, it was a mechanical calculating machine capable of addition and subtraction, but was expensive to produce.
- Stepped Reckoner: Invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672, this machine could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It also used binary arithmetic, a key concept for modern computers.
- The Bouchon Loom: Invented by Basile Bouchon in 1725, this loom used punched paper to control the weaving of complex patterns. It was the first use of a stored program.
- Falçon Loom: Invented by Jean-Batist Falçon in 1728, this loom replaced the paper roll with a deck of punched cardboard cards.
- Jacquard Loom: Invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881, this loom used punched cards to automate complex patterns in fabric.
- Arithmometer: Invented by Thomas de Colmar in 1820, this mechanical calculator was the first reliable, commercially successful machine capable of performing the four basic mathematical functions.
- Difference Engine: Invented by Charles Babbage in 1822, this machine was designed as an automatic mechanical calculator for tabulating polynomial functions. Considered the first mechanical computer, it would have been used for calculating mathematical tables.
- Analytical Engine: Also invented by Charles Babbage (1834), this machine was the precursor to the modern computer. It was designed to be programmable and had a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and input/output devices.
- First Computer Programmer: Augusta Ada Byron (1840) is regarded as the world's first computer programmer. She wrote programs for Babbage's Analytical Engine and is credited with writing the world's first computer program.
- Scheutzian Calculation Engine: Invented by Per Georg Scheutz in 1843, this machine was based on Babbage's Difference Engine and was the first printing calculator.
- Tabulating Machine: Invented by Herman Hollerith in 1890, this machine was designed to help summarize information and accounting.
- Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC): Invented by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry (1939-1942), this was the first electronic digital computing device.
- Harvard Mark I: Invented by Howard H. Aiken in 1943. It was an electro-mechanical computer, capable of making logical decisions.
- Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC): Completed in 1946, it was the first electronic general-purpose computer.
- UNIVAC: Delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau, It was considered the first commercial computer.
- Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC): Designed by Von Neumann in 1952, it was the first stored-program computer. It featured a memory to hold both stored programs and data.
- Osborne 1: Released in 1981, it was the first portable computer.
- First Computer Company: Founded in 1949, Electronic Controls Company, created by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, was the first computer company.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the evolution of computing from early calculations to mechanical devices. Explore the significance of tools like the abacus, slide rule, and Pascaline in shaping mathematical practices. This quiz covers key inventions and their inventors that paved the way for modern computing.
