History Of Computers Flashcards
What is a computer?
A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions, aiding humans in performing various kinds of computations or calculations.
What is a tally stick?
A tally stick was an ancient memory aid device to record and document numbers, quantities, or even messages.
What is an abacus?
An abacus is a mechanical device used to aid an individual in performing mathematical calculations.
What is the Napier Bone?
The Napier Bone, invented by John Napier in 1614, allowed the operator to multiply, divide, and calculate square and cube roots by moving the rods around and placing them in specially constructed boards.
What is a slide rule?
A slide rule, invented by William Oughtred in 1622, is based on Napier’s ideas about logarithms and is used primarily for multiplication, division, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry.
What is the Pascaline?
The Pascaline, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642, was limited to addition and subtraction.
What is the Stepped Reckoner?
The Stepped Reckoner, invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672, is a machine that can add, subtract, multiply, and divide automatically.
What is the Jacquard Loom?
The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881.
What is the Arithometer?
The Arithometer is a mechanical calculator invented by Thomas de Colmar in 1820, recognized as the first reliable, useful, and commercially successful calculating machine capable of performing the four basic mathematical functions.
What are the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine?
The Difference Engine and Analytical Engine, invented by Charles Babbage in 1822 and 1834 respectively, are automatic mechanical calculators designed to tabulate polynomial functions and are considered the first mechanical computers.
Who was the first computer programmer?
In 1840, Augusta Ada Byron suggested to Babbage that he use the binary system and wrote programs for the Analytical Engine.
What is the Scheutzian Calculation Engine?
The Scheutzian Calculation Engine, invented by Herman Hollerith in 1890, is a tabulating machine designed to assist in summarizing information and accounting.
What is ENIAC?
ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, which was the first electronic general-purpose computer, completed in 1946 and developed by John Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly.
What is UNIVAC 1?
The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer 1) was the first commercial computer, designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.
What is EDVAC?
EDVAC stands for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer, recognized as the first stored program computer, designed by Von Neumann in 1952.
What was the first computer company?
The first computer company was the Electronic Controls Company, founded in 1949 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.
What are the first generation computers?
First generation computers (1946 - 1958) used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, often taking up entire rooms.
What are the second generation computers?
Second generation computers (1959 - 1964) replaced vacuum tubes with transistors, with one transistor replacing the equivalent of 40 vacuum tubes.
What are the third generation computers?
Third generation computers (1965 - 1970) were characterized by the development of the integrated circuit, with miniaturized transistors placed on silicon chips, drastically increasing speed and efficiency.
What are the fourth generation computers?
Fourth generation computers (1971 - today) are defined by the microprocessor, which integrates thousands of circuits onto a single silicon chip.
What are the fifth generation computers?
Fifth generation computers (Today - the future) are based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and are still in development.
