Chapter 1 Flashcards
Mastery
Q: Who invented the Difference Engine and in what year?
A: Charles Babbage in 1822.
Q: What was the Analytical Engine designed for?
A: The Analytical Engine was designed to solve mathematical problems and store information as permanent memory using punch cards.
Q: What was the significance of the ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer)?
A: It was the first electronic digital computer, developed in 1937.
Q: What major milestone did Bell Labs achieve in 1969?
A: Bell Labs developed the first operating system, UNIX, in 1969.
Q: What was the world’s first personal computer introduced by IBM?
A: The first personal computer, Acorn, was introduced in 1981.
Q: When did Tim Berners-Lee develop HTML?
A: In 1990.
Q: What key invention did Apple introduce in 1983?
A: Apple introduced the Lisa, the first PC with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in 1983.
Q: What significant event took place on March 15, 1985?
A: The registration of the first dot-com domain.
Q: When was Wi-Fi developed?
A: In 1997.
Q: What event led to the invention of the first computing machines?
A: The tabulation of the 1880 US Census.
Q: What was Herman Hollerith’s contribution to computing?
A: Herman Hollerith designed the punch card and later formed IBM.
Q: What concept did Alan Turing present in 1936?
A: The concept of the universal machine.
Q: What was the Difference Engine created by Charles Babbage?
A: A steam-driven mechanical computer capable of performing simple calculations.
Q: What was the key feature of Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine?
A: It was an automated system that used punch cards as input, capable of solving mathematical problems and storing information as permanent memory.
Q: What was the purpose of the Tabulating Machine created by Herman Hollerith?
A: It improved upon Babbage’s mechanical computers, used punch cards as input, and could tabulate statistics while recording and sorting data.
Q: What did the Differential Analyzer developed by Vannevar Bush do?
A: It was the first electronic computer using vacuum tubes to switch electrical signals for performing calculations, capable of performing up to 25 calculations in a short time.
Q: What marked the First Generation of computers (1937-1946)?
A: The introduction of the first electronic digital computers such as the ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer) and ENIAC.
Q: Who developed the ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer) and when?
A: Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry developed the ABC in 1937.
Q: What was the significance of ENIAC?
A: It was the first general-purpose digital computer and one of the first stored-program computers working on binary.
Q: What was the IBM Harvard Mark I?
A: It was the first programmable digital computer developed by Howard Aiken.
Q: What characterized the Second Generation of computers (1947-1962)?
A: The introduction of Integrated Circuits (ICs), COBOL, FORTRAN, and the first commercial computers like UNIVAC.
Q: What was the UNIVAC 1?
A: The first commercial computer, introduced in 1953.
Q: What were some notable second-generation computers?
A: IBM 1620, IBM 7094, CDC 1604, CDC 3600, and UNIVAC 1108.
Q: What was the Third Generation of computers (1963-1980) known for?
A: The invention of the operating system UNIX, the introduction of DRAM, and the development of technologies like floppy disks and Ethernet.
Q: What significant invention did Intel introduce in 1970?
A: The world’s first Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Intel 1130.
Q: What major milestone occurred in 1969 related to UNIX?
A: Bell Labs developed the first operating system, UNIX, in 1969.
Q: What role did mainframe computers play during the Third Generation?
A: Mainframe computers acted as servers, with individual PCs connecting to them for networking.
Q: What were some popular third-generation computers?
A: IBM 360 Series, Honeywell 6000 Series, PDP (Personal Data Processor), IBM 370/168, and TDC 316.
Q: What notable event occurred in 1981 regarding personal computers?
A: The first personal computer, Acorn, was introduced by IBM in 1981.
Q: What was Apple’s Lisa?
A: It was the first personal computer with a Graphical User Interface (GUI), released in 1983.
Q: When was the first dot-com domain registered?
A: On March 15, 1985.
Q: What year did Pentium processors and gaming machines emerge?
A: In 1993.
Q: How have smartphones evolved in modern computing?
A: Smartphones now contain powerful processors like ENIAC, allowing them to perform sophisticated calculations and connect to the internet for global communication.
Q: Who developed HTML and when?
A: Tim Berners-Lee developed HTML in 1990.
Q: What significant internet development occurred in 1996?
A: Google Search Engine was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Q: When was Wi-Fi technology introduced?
A: In 1997.
Q: What were some notable events in 2001 regarding operating systems?
A: The release of Windows XP and MacOS.
Q: How has technology impacted society?
A: Present technology, especially through the internet and smartphones, has connected people globally and is revolutionizing communication.
Q: What was the significance of 2003 in the computing world?
A: The introduction of the first 64-bit processor.
Q: What is the relationship between early computers and today’s technology?
A: Modern computing and technology have come a long way since Charles Babbage’s first designs, with rapid advancements shaping the way we live, work, and communicate.
