History of Computing

Question 1

Abacus

Answer 1

The first forms of computing used in Asia, and was a basic form of calculator for doing math.

Question 2

Charles Babbage

Answer 2

Known as the father of computing, Charles Babbage produced a programmable analytical engine in 1837, which he intended to be used for automatic calculation.

Question 3

Turing machine

Answer 3

Invented by Alan Turing in 1936, and was the first ‘modern’ computer which was able to simulate and reproduce algorithms.

Question 4

ENIAC

Answer 4

The first electronic general purpose computer. It was created ay the University of Pennsylvania for the US Army, to compute artillery firing tables.

Question 5

Vacuum Tube

Answer 5

Early computers, like the ENIAC, used vacuum tubes which operated as electronic switches. The problem is that vacuum tubes are very large and power hungry, and therefore the computers were large as well.

Question 6

Transistor

Answer 6

A semiconductor, and in its most basic form has three terminals for input and output.

With the invention of the transistor, handheld electronics were now a possibility, and computers themselves shrank from filling entire rooms, to filling a small corner of a desk,

Question 7

Types of Computers

Answer 7

Computers are organized into several different classes depending on their use and general processor count.

The four main types:

1) Microcomputers
2) Minicomputers
3) Mainframe Computers
4) Super Computers

Question 8

Microcomputer

Answer 8

Usually used at home or the workplace, and today refer to computers which have a single processor.

What most people call “PC” or “Personal Computer.”

Question 9

Minicomputer

Answer 9

Multi-user computers and consist of computers that are used in laboratories or as servers.

Question 10

Mainframe Computer

Answer 10

Mainframe computers are large computer that usually fill a room or two. These computers are used as the primary computers for institutions such as banks, hospitals, corporations or governments.

Question 11

Supercomputer

Answer 11

Supercomputer are focused on scientific numerical calculators, and have applications in fluid dynamics, chemistry predictions, weather modeling, and theoretical physics.

Question 12

Apple Inc. was founded in — ?

Answer 12

1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne .

Question 13

IBM

Answer 13

Created in 1911 by the merger of three companies. Introduced the industry standard IBM 5150 personal computer and manufactured computers for businesses and government agencies.

Question 14

Microsoft

Answer 14

Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975.

Question 15

Lotus

Answer 15

Founded by Mitch Kapor and Jonathan Sachs in 1982

Question 16

Personal Computers (PC)

Answer 16

Computers intended for use at home, but for many years, computers were to bulky to be sold to consumers.

Question 17

Modern Desktop Computers

Answer 17

In 1977, the first ‘Modern’ personal computer were released. These computers featured monitors, keyboards, and mice, and had some form of internal or external storage.