CH 2.12 Flashcards
“What did J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly build that is widely accepted to be the world’s first operational electronic, general-purpose computer?”
“They built what is widely accepted to be the world’s first operational electronic, general-purpose computer called the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator).”
“What is the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator)?”
“The world’s first operational electronic, general-purpose computer built by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.”
“What ideas did von Neumann help crystallize and propose in a memo?”
“He helped crystallize the ideas and wrote a memo proposing a stored-program computer called EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer).”
“What is the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer)?”
“A stored-program computer proposed by von Neumann.”
“What is the EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) and its significance?”
“EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) was the world’s first full-scale, operational, stored-program computer.”
“What is the significance of the Mark-I built at the University of Manchester in 1948?”
“A small prototype built at the University of Manchester in 1948, which might be called the first operational stored-program machine.”
“Who is John Atanasoff and what was his contribution to early computing?”
“A person who built a small-scale electronic computer in the early 1940s.”
“Who is Konrad Zuse and what did he build in Germany in the late 1930s and early 1940s?”
“A person who built a special-purpose machine in Germany in the late 1930s and early 1940s.”
“Who is Alan Turing and what was his role during World War II?”
“A person who was part of a team that built the Colossus in 1943 to decrypt intercepted German messages during World War II.”
“What was the Colossus and its purpose during World War II?”
“A special-purpose electronic computer built by a team at Bletchley Park, including Alan Turing, during World War II.”
“What did Howard Aiken build at Harvard?”
“He was building an electro-mechanical computer called the Mark-I at Harvard.”
“What is the Harvard architecture and what does it describe?”
“A term coined to describe machines with distinct memories.”
“What was the Whirlwind project begun at MIT in 1947 aimed at?”
“A project begun at MIT in 1947 aimed at applications in real-time radar signal processing.”
“What company did Eckert and Mauchly form and what was their first machine?”
“They formed the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation.”
“What is the BINAC and who built it?”
“The first machine built by Eckert and Mauchly for Northrop, shown in August 1949.”
“What is the UNIVAC I and why is it significant?”
“The first successful commercial computer, originally delivered in June 1951.”
“What is the IBM 701 and how many units were sold?”
“The first IBM computer, shipped in 1952, with eventually 19 units sold.”
“What did Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) unveil as the first commercial minicomputer?”
“They unveiled the PDP-8, the first commercial minicomputer.”
“What is the PDP-8 and why is it significant?”
“The first commercial minicomputer, unveiled by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).”
“What is a minicomputer and what was its breakthrough in design?”
“A small machine that was a breakthrough in low-cost design, allowing DEC to offer a computer for under $20,000.”
“What did Intel invent in 1971 that was groundbreaking?”
“The first microprocessor, the Intel 4004.”
“What is a supercomputer and what is it used for?”
“An extremely fast computer targeted to perform a large number of computations typically needed by scientific applications.”
“Who is Seymour Cray and why is he important in the field of computing?”
“A person often credited as the ‘father of supercomputing’ and regarded as a pioneer of supercomputing.”
“What is the Cray-1 and why is it notable?”
“The first commercial vector supercomputer, announced in 1976.”
“What did Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak create in 1977 that set standards for the personal computer industry?”
“The Apple IIe, which set standards for low cost, high volume, and high reliability that defined the personal computer industry.”
“What is the Xerox Alto and what did it inspire?”
“A computer that inspired many of the architectural and software concepts that characterize the modern desktop machines.”
“What was the ARPAnet and what was its significance in networking?”
“The wide area network that produced the first versions of Internet-style networking.”
“What is the Whetstone synthetic program and why was it created?”
“A synthetic program created by measuring scientific programs written in Algol-60.”
“What is the Dhrystone benchmark and where is it still used?”
“Another synthetic benchmark that is still used in some embedded computing circles.”
“What are kernels in the context of benchmarks?”
“Small, time-intensive pieces from real programs that are extracted and then used as benchmarks.”
“What are Livermore Loops and Linpack and why are they important?”
“The best-known examples of kernel benchmarks.”
“What is SPEC (System Performance Evaluation Cooperative) and what does it do?”
“A cooperative effort funded and supported by a number of computer vendors to create standard sets of benchmarks for modern computer systems.”
“What is the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) and what inspired its creation?”
“A collection of kernels organized into suites that address different portions of the embedded industry, inspired by SPEC.”
