Evolution of computers
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Questions and Answers

Which term describes a programmable computing device that can process, store, and retrieve data?

  • Smartphone
  • Computer (correct)
  • Router
  • Tablet
  • What is processed according to the software's instructions or commands?

  • Computer Data (correct)
  • Hardware
  • User Input
  • Network Traffic
  • What word originates as a term referring to someone who manually carried out calculations instead of a machine?

  • Calculator
  • Mathematician
  • Computer (correct)
  • Statistician
  • Large machines consisting of thousands of vacuum tubes were part of the early digital computers built in which period?

    <p>1940 and 1950</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a sequential device that operates on data one at a time, with the data represented in binary format and a single transistor used to symbolize a binary digit?

    <p>Digital computer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The representation of data reflects properties of the data being modeled in an ______.

    <p>analog computer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of computer represents data and numbers using physical quantities such as electric voltage and uses a stream of binary digits to represent them?

    <p>Analog computer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who did the early foundational work on analog computation?

    <p>James Thomson</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was the foundational work on analog computation made?

    <p>19th century</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What parts did James Thomson use for the analog device?

    <p>Wheel and a disc integrator</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who did James Thomson work with to create a device that integrates the product of two functions?

    <p>Lord Kelvin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did william thomson create in the 1960s?

    <p>Tide predicting machine</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where was the tide predicting machine used?

    <p>Port of Liverpool</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who developed the first large-scale, general-purpose analog machine called the differential analyzer?

    <p>Vannevar Bush</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the machine that allows integration and differential equations problems to be quickly solved, containing wheels, discs, shafts, and gears to execute calculations, weighing 100 tons and containing up to 150 motors?

    <p>Differential Analyzer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was the use of analog computers mostly phased out?

    <p>World War 2</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which devices depended on the flow of electric current through a vacuum and were widely used in electronic devices such as televisions and computers until the invention of transistors?

    <p>Vacuum tubes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is described as a generation of bulky parts with several racks taking up an entire room and consisting of a three-terminal device with a cathode, grid, and plate?

    <p>Vacuum tubes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC), Colossus, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), Universal Automatic Computer I (UNIVAC I), Whirlwind, and the IBM 701 are examples of what type of digital computer?

    <p>Vacuum tube</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the fundamental building block in modern electronic systems for revolutionizing the field of electronics?

    <p>Transistors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which technology was much smaller, cheaper, and more reliable based on functionality compared to its predecessor?

    <p>Transistor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a three terminal solid state electronic device that can control electronic current or voltage between two terminals?

    <p>Transistor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What component allows an electronic switch to be created, which can be controlled by another electric switch?

    <p>Transistor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    at which university the transistor was most evidently experimented by

    <p>university of manchester</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the experiments at the University of Manchester regarding transistors result in?

    <p>Transistor computer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who invented the integrated circuit?

    <p>Jack Kilby</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where did Jack Kilby work?

    <p>Texas Instruments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term describes a set of electronic circuits on a small chip of semiconductor material smaller than circuits made of independent components?

    <p>Integrated circuits</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What technology enabled users to interact with computers using keyboards and monitors interfaced with an operating system?

    <p>Integrated circuits</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the world's first microprocessor?

    <p>Intel P4004 1969 microprocessor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the first semiconductor device that provided the functions of a computer at a chip level, including the arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) and the control unit?

    <p>Microprocessor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the physical part of the machine called?

    <p>Hardware</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a set of instructions that commands the computer what to do?

    <p>Software</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component responds to the instructions it receives from users, taking user commands in the form of data and converting them into a digital language format sent to the processing unit?

    <p>Input unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Keyboard, mouse, scanner, joystick, and trackball are examples of:

    <p>Input unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which unit converts human language commands into machine language for computers to interpret before execution?

    <p>Central processing unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following are the main components of the CPU? (Select all that apply)

    <p>Memory unit, Control unit, Arithmetic and logic unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the unit that makes all information available, uses bits and bytes (8 bits) to measure data size, and is responsible for storing data from input devices and the result data from output devices?

    <p>Memory unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component manages the computer device functions and is the central component of the CPU?

    <p>Control Unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component of a computer processes data for execution and converts human language to machine language before sending signals to the output unit?

    <p>Control Unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which unit maintains a data flow inside the system and transfers the commands to the arithmetic-logic unit?

    <p>Control Unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which processor component is responsible for mathematical calculations as well as data comparison and decision-making?

    <p>Arithmetic-Logical Unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What computing component has features to accomplish different mathematical solutions like addition, subtraction, and multiplication, but only performs the calculation when necessary and then sends it to the output unit?

    <p>Arithmetic-Logical Unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When the input and central processing unit processes are accomplished, the data is fed to this unit, where the result is shown. These devices always connect to the system, thus making coordination easier. What is this unit called?

    <p>Output unit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is described as a collection of software programs and commands that control computer hardware to make it usable, allowing the computing power of the hardware to be available to users and managing hardware for good system performance?

    <p>Operating system</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which system handles hardware such as the processors, input/output devices, communication devices, and data, and provides functionality, including hardware sharing, error recovery, and network communication management?

    <p>Operating System</p> Signup and view all the answers

    allow users to hide details of hardware by creating an ________

    <p>Abstraction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    offer an environment where users may execute programs or applications

    <p>Executable Programs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which term provides the computer system with an easy-to-use format for resources?

    <p>User-friendly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Users may lose all the contents stored in the computer system whenever an issue occurs.

    <p>Volatility</p> Signup and view all the answers

    OS software is costly for small organizations, which can cause an additional financial burden.

    <p>Expensive</p> Signup and view all the answers

    It is never secure, as threats can happen anytime.

    <p>Volatility</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Computer Basics

    • Computer: A programmable computing device that processes, stores, and retrieves data. Data processing occurs according to software instructions or commands.
    • Computer Scientist: Originated as a term referring to someone who manually performed calculations instead of a machine.
    • Vacuum Tubes: Large machines containing thousands of vacuum tubes were part of early digital computers built in the 1940s and 1950s.
    • Transistor: A sequential device operating on data one at a time, representing data in binary format. Each transistor symbolizes a binary digit.
    • Analog Representation of data reflects properties of the data being modeled, using physical quantities like electric voltage.
    • Analog Computer: Represents data and numbers using physical quantities like electric voltage, using a stream of binary digits.
    • Analog Computation: Early foundational work by Lord Kelvin (formerly William Thomson) in 1872.
    • James Thomson used parts like gears, shafts, and wheels for his analog device. He worked with William Thomson to create a device integrating two functions' products.
    • William Thomson created the Tide Predicting Machine in the 1960s, used to predict tides for the British Admiralty.
    • Vannevar Bush: The first large-scale, general-purpose analog machine, called the Differential Analyzer, was developed by him.
    • Differential Analyzer: A machine enabling rapid solutions for integration and differential equations problems. It contains wheels, discs, shafts, and gears for calculations, weighs 100 tons, and has up to 150 motors.

    From Vacuum Tubes to Transistors

    • Analog Computers: Mostly phased out in the 1960s and replaced by digital computers.
    • Vacuum Tubes: Depended on electric current flowing through a vacuum, widely used until the invention of transistors.
    • First Generation Computers: Bulky parts with several racks occupying an entire room. Had three-terminal devices consisting of a cathode, grid, and plate.
    • First Generation Digital Computers: Examples include Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC), Colossus, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), Universal Automatic Computer I (UNIVAC I), Whirlwind, and IBM 701.
    • Transistor: Revolutionized electronics, serving as the fundamental building block in modern electronic systems.
    • Smaller, Cheaper, More Reliable: The transistor was much smaller, cheaper, and more reliable than its predecessor.
    • Transistor as a Switch: A three-terminal solid-state electronic device controlling electronic current or voltage between two terminals.
    • University of Manchester: Intensive transistor experimentation resulted in the invention of the transistorized computer.
    • Integrated Circuit (IC): Invented by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments in 1958.

    The Rise of the Integrated Circuit

    • Integrated Circuit (IC): A set of electronic circuits on a small chip of semiconductor material, smaller than circuits made of independent components.
    • The Invention of the Microprocessor: Enabled user interaction via keyboards and monitors connected to an operating system.
    • Intel 4004: The world's first microprocessor.
    • The Microprocessor (4004): The first semiconductor device providing computer functionality at a chip level, including the arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) and control unit.

    Computer Components

    • Hardware: The physical part of a computer.
    • Software: A set of instructions telling the computer what to do.
    • Input Unit: Responds to user commands by taking user commands in the form of data and converting them into a digital language format sent to the processing unit.
    • Input Devices: Examples are a keyboard, mouse, scanner, joystick, and trackball.
    • Central Processing Unit (CPU): Converts human language commands into machine language for computer interpretation.
    • CPU Components:
      • Control Unit: Manages the computer’s device functions and is the central component of the CPU.
      • Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): Processes data for execution and converts human language to machine language before sending signals to the output unit.
      • Memory Unit: Makes all information available, uses bits and bytes (8 bits) to measure data size, and is responsible for storing data from input devices and the result data from output devices.
    • Control Unit Maintains data flow inside the system and transfers commands to the ALU.
    • Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): Responsible for mathematical calculations, data comparison, and decision-making. It has features for addition, subtraction, and multiplication but performs calculations only when necessary, then sends them to the output unit.
    • Output Unit: Data is fed to this unit after processing by the input and central processing unit. The output unit then displays the result.
    • Output Devices: These devices are always connected to the system, making coordination easier.
    • Operating System (OS): A collection of software programs and commands controlling computer hardware for user usability. The OS manages hardware for good system performance.

    Operating Systems

    • OS Software: Handles hardware such as processors, input/output devices, communication devices, and data. It provides functionality, including hardware sharing, error recovery, and network communication management.
    • OS Software Allows users to hide hardware details by creating an abstraction layer, offering an environment where users may execute programs or applications.
    • Abstraction Layer: Provides the computer system with an easy-to-use format for resources.

    Disadvantages of Operating Systems

    • Users may lose all the contents stored in the computer system whenever an issue occurs.
    • OS software can be costly for small organizations, causing an additional financial burden.
    • OS software is not inherently secure, as threats can happen at any time.

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    Description

    This quiz explores fundamental concepts in computing, including the definition and functions of programmable devices. Test your knowledge on how these devices process, store, and retrieve data efficiently.

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