Amazing Trivia Quiz On Computers

The Altair is considered to be the first personal computer. It was developed in the mid-1970s by a company called MITS. The Altair was a small, affordable computer that was designed for personal use, making it accessible to individuals rather than just large organizations. It was a significant milestone in the history of personal computing, paving the way for the development of future computers like the Mac and Apple. Compaq, on the other hand, was a company that produced IBM-compatible personal computers in the 1980s and 1990s, while Mac and Apple refer to specific brands and models of personal computers.

The Turing Test is a test that asks whether a computer can pass for a human in a written conversation. It was proposed by Alan Turing in 1950 as a way to determine if a machine can exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human. The test involves a human judge engaging in a conversation with both a human and a machine through a computer interface. If the judge cannot consistently differentiate between the human and the machine based on their responses, then the machine is said to have passed the Turing Test.

The first TV commercial for the Macintosh referred to the novel "1984". This is because the commercial, which aired during the 1984 Super Bowl, depicted a dystopian society similar to the one portrayed in George Orwell's novel. The commercial featured a woman running with a sledgehammer, representing the Macintosh computer breaking free from the control of Big Brother, just as the protagonist in "1984" rebels against a totalitarian regime. The commercial was a memorable and impactful way to introduce the Macintosh as a revolutionary and rebellious product in the world of computers.

The original 1984 Macintosh computer had several limitations, including the fact that it could not be expanded easily, had very little memory, and lacked a hard drive. However, being too bulky was not one of its limitations.

FORTRAN is considered to be the first high-level programming language, developed in the 1950s by IBM. It was specifically designed for scientific and engineering calculations. FORTRAN's development marked a significant milestone in the history of programming languages, as it introduced many concepts that are still used today. Its popularity and widespread adoption paved the way for the development of other programming languages. BASIC, COBOL, and Phrogram were developed after FORTRAN and were influenced by its design and principles.

ARPAnet is better known as "The Grandfather Of The Internet" because it was the first wide-area packet-switching network and served as the foundation for the development of the modern internet. ARPAnet was created in the late 1960s by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the United States Department of Defense and connected multiple universities and research institutions. It pioneered many of the key technologies and concepts that are still used today in the internet, such as packet switching and the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite.

Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer because she wrote the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine. She worked closely with Charles Babbage on his Analytical Engine and wrote a series of notes that included an algorithm for calculating Bernoulli numbers. Her work laid the foundation for modern computer programming and she is often credited with recognizing the potential of computers beyond mere calculation.

The correct answer is Spectrum. The Sinclair brand of computers included the popular British computer called Spectrum.

The engineers who developed the IBM PC were known as "The Dirty Dozen" because there were twelve of them. This nickname was given to them due to their unconventional and rebellious approach to creating the PC. Despite being a small team, they were able to revolutionize the computer industry and lay the foundation for the modern personal computer.

Lady Augusta Ada Byron Lovelace, Countess of Lovelace is considered to be the first computer programmer because she wrote the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine. She worked closely with Charles Babbage, the inventor of the Analytical Engine, and her notes on his machine included a detailed algorithm for calculating Bernoulli numbers. Her work demonstrated the potential for machines to go beyond simple calculations and laid the foundation for modern computer programming.

IBM debuted its first personal computer in August of 1981. This marked a significant milestone in the history of personal computing as it was the first time IBM had entered this market. The IBM PC, as it was called, quickly became popular and set the standard for personal computers for many years to come. Its release in 1981 is considered a pivotal moment in the development of the personal computer industry.

Konrad Zuse created "Z1," the first fully programmable computer, in 1936. This early computer was a significant milestone in the development of computing technology. It utilized binary arithmetic and punched tape for input and output. Although the Z1 was not widely recognized or utilized during its time, it laid the foundation for future advancements in computer science and programming.

The correct answer is Transistor. The transistor was first demonstrated in 1947 by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley at Bell Laboratories. It is a semiconductor device that replaced vacuum tubes in electronic circuits. The invention of the transistor revolutionized the field of electronics and paved the way for the development of smaller, faster, and more efficient computers.

By the end of 1984, only a small percentage of American households owned a computer, specifically eight percent. This indicates that computer ownership was still relatively low and not yet widespread.

The correct answer is BBC Micro. The BBC Micro was an early British computer that was manufactured by Acorn. It was designed in collaboration with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and was primarily used in schools in the 1980s. The BBC Micro was known for its advanced hardware and expandability, and it played a significant role in the development of computer literacy in the UK.