1. Ancient History (Up to 1930)

Question 1

Abacus

Answer 1

• first developed in Babylonia, over 5000 years ago and still used today in some parts of the world
• a finger-powered pocket calculator

Question 2

Slide Rule

Answer 2

• William Oughtred (1575-1660) inventor
• Used in science and engineering
• Replaced by electronic pocket calculator around 1974

Question 3

Blaise Pascal

Answer 3

• decimal calculator, could add and subtract by turning dials

Question 4

Wilhelmina Schickard (1592-1635)

Answer 4

• Wilhelm Schickard (1592-1635), mechanical calculator mechanical calculator

Question 5

Jacquard Loom (1801)

Answer 5

• Joseph Marie Jacquard inventor
• Used punch cards to define complex patterns
• Patterns woven into textiles
• Punch cards were later used to code computer programs

Question 6

Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

Answer 6

• Among pioneers of modern computing machines
• Designed two calculating machines, neither of which was practical to build
• Difference Engine • Analytical Engine

Question 7

Babbage’ Analytical Engine

Answer 7

• Inspired by Jacquard’s use of punch cards to control a (weaving) machine
• Given the technology of the time, it could only be built using rods and gears and powered by STEAM
• It was never built

Question 8

Babbage’s Difference Engine

Answer 8

• Automated both the computation of tables and their printing
• Special-purpose calculating machine
• used the method of differences to calculate polynomials

Question 9

Ada Lovelace

Answer 9

• Daughter of Lord Byron, wrote programs for the Difference Engine
• Translate an article, supplementing it with elaborate notes for the Analytical Engine to calculate Bernoulli numbers, a mathematical sequence representing trigonometric functions
• Many consider her
the first programmer…

Question 10

Babbage’s Legacy

Answer 10

• Designed the first general- purpose digital computing device
• His ideas were way ahead of their times
• First complete Difference Engine was completed in London in 2002. Faithful to the original drawings, it consists of 8,000 parts, weighs 5 tons and is 11 feet long

Question 11

George Boole (1815-1864)

Answer 11

• Boolean algebra: laid logical foundations of digital computing circuitry
• also Invariant Theory: later used by Albert Einstein in his theory of relativity