Podcast
Questions and Answers
What was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer?
What was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer?
Who needed a way to supply trajectory tables for new weapons accurately and within a reasonable time frame?
Who needed a way to supply trajectory tables for new weapons accurately and within a reasonable time frame?
What was the first successful commercial computer?
What was the first successful commercial computer?
Who was attributed to the design of the first-generation computers?
Who was attributed to the design of the first-generation computers?
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What was the prototype of all subsequent general-purpose computers?
What was the prototype of all subsequent general-purpose computers?
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What was the main feature of second-generation computers?
What was the main feature of second-generation computers?
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What led to the construction of gates, memory cells, and interconnections among these elements in the third-generation computers?
What led to the construction of gates, memory cells, and interconnections among these elements in the third-generation computers?
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Which two computers were the most important members of the third generation?
Which two computers were the most important members of the third generation?
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Study Notes
Computer Evolution and Performance
- ENIAC was the world’s first general-purpose electronic digital computer designed and constructed at the University of Pennsylvania by John Mauchly and John Eckert.
- Army’s Ballistics Research Laboratory (BRL) needed a way to supply trajectory tables for new weapons accurately and within a reasonable time frame.
- The first task of ENIAC was to perform a series of calculations that were used to help determine the feasibility of the hydrogen bomb.
- First-generation computers made use of vacuum tubes and were attributed to ENIAC designers, most notably the mathematician John von Neumann.
- Stored program concept was first published by John von Neumann in 1945, which represented a program in a form suitable for storing in memory alongside the data.
- IAS computer was the prototype of all subsequent general-purpose computers and was completed in 1952 at Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies.
- UNIVAC I was the first successful commercial computer, which was intended for both scientific and commercial applications and commissioned by the US Bureau of Census for 1950 calculations.
- IBM delivered its first electronic stored-program computer (701) in 1953, intended primarily for scientific applications, and introduced the 702 product in 1955, which was suitable for business applications.
- Second-generation computers were introduced with more complex arithmetic and logic units and control units, the use of high-level programming languages, and the provision of system software.
- The Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) introduced PDP-1, which began the mini-computer phenomenon that would become so prominent in the third generation.
- The third-generation computers were characterized by the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958, which led to the construction of gates, memory cells, and interconnections among these elements.
- The IBM System/360 and the DEC PDP-8 were the two most important members of the third generation.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the evolution and performance of computers with this informative quiz. From the first electronic digital computer to the invention of integrated circuits, this quiz covers the major milestones in computer history. Challenge yourself to recall important details and learn fascinating facts about the development of computing technology. Keywords: computer history, ENIAC, vacuum tubes, stored program, integrated circuit, IBM System/360.
