Computers I: History Of The Computer And Contributing Technologies

1. What is the ABC computer by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry considered to be, the first what?

The first computer to be made by two people instead of one

Computer that does not take up the space of a whole room

The first fully programmable computer

The first computer on earth

The device was not programmable but ran on electricity and it was used to solve algebraic functions. The computer ran on vacuum tubes which led to it being the size of a desk.

Explanation

The device was not programmable but ran on electricity and it was used to solve algebraic functions. The computer ran on vacuum tubes which led to it being the size of a desk.

2. The Harvard Mark 1 Computer was constructed by IBM and shipped to Harvard University where it was used by the US Navy. What did the US Navy use this large computer for?

The Mark 1 was used to calculate the distance from earth to the sun

The Mark 1 was used to create baby computers that were born from it's electronic transistors

The Mark 1 was used by the Navy to create an informational database

The Mark 1 was used by the Navy for gunnery and ballistic calculations

The Mark 1 was a noisy machine that combined the electronics with the mechanical parts similar to the K1.

Explanation

The Mark 1 was a noisy machine that combined the electronics with the mechanical parts similar to the K1.

3. Konrad Zuse is best known for developing the world's first functional program controlled computer. What is the name of this computer?

The Zee computer

The Z3 computer

The Uzi Computer

The Z Programming Language

The Z1 was his first invention, but he is best known for the Z3 computer where he perfected the design to allow for programming that was stored on punch tape. Similar to a scantron form.

Explanation

The Z1 was his first invention, but he is best known for the Z3 computer where he perfected the design to allow for programming that was stored on punch tape. Similar to a scantron form.

4. I hope that by now it's clear to you that a transistor is not a computer, however it's invention was influential in the course of computer history. The first generation of computers used what?

Musical instrument's parts

Cables and wire that are specifically coated to reduce interference

Vacuum Tubes that control voltage using a series of gates

Integrated Circuits

The first generation of computers used rudimentary vacuum tubes that seem like light bulbs with filament and all which allows the tubes to control voltage, on and off, binary.

Explanation

The first generation of computers used rudimentary vacuum tubes that seem like light bulbs with filament and all which allows the tubes to control voltage, on and off, binary.

5. "What we didn't realize then was that the integrated circuit would reduce the cost of electronic functions by a factor of a million to one, nothing had ever done that for anything before" - Jack Kilby
The Integrated circuit, otherwise known as the chip or IC, was a necessary invention in order to continue to make technical advances (AKA: make computers faster, smaller and more reliable). The integrated circuit placed all the necessary transistors, capacitors and wires in the same chip made of semiconductor material, known as what?

A Wafer. Thin chip

Silicon

Germanium Crystal

Plastic and Metals

Jack Kilby used germanium and Robert Noyce used silicon for the semiconductor material. Two different guys invented the same technology at the same time while working for two different companies. Silicon integration was the one that became more popular, easier and cheaper to make.

The sand used to grow the wafers has to be a very clean and good form of silicon. For this reason not just any sand scraped off the beach will do. Most of the sand used for these processes is shipped from the beaches of Australia

Explanation

Jack Kilby used germanium and Robert Noyce used silicon for the semiconductor material. Two different guys invented the same technology at the same time while working for two different companies. Silicon integration was the one that became more popular, easier and cheaper to make.

The sand used to grow the wafers has to be a very clean and good form of silicon. For this reason not just any sand scraped off the beach will do. Most of the sand used for these processes is shipped from the beaches of Australia

6. The one major drawback of Vacuum tubes is that they created heat, consumed a lot of power, and burned out rapidly. In fact, computer engineers had to keep a large stock of these on hand to replace burn outs. That increased maintenance needs and drove up costs. This led to the need to create a more reliable way to control voltage, and thus the transistor was born. Transistors modulate (control) and switch electrical current. What else did the inception of transistors do for computer design?

Transistors led to the development of semiconductor technologies

Transistors got smaller and thus faster computers could be invented

Transistors transmit more voltage and electrical current and that made computers faster and more reliable.