History of Computer: Basic Computing Periods
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135 Terms
What is a computer?
A programmable electronic machine that stores, retrieves, processes, and manipulates data by following instructions called programs.
What are the core abilities of a computer?
Store, retrieve, process, and manipulate data.
What does a computer follow to perform tasks?
A structured list of instructions called a program.
How does a computer help humans?
It assists in performing computations and calculations.
What are the three principal characteristics of a computer?
Predictable response, pre-recorded execution, and high-speed storage.
What is meant by predictable response?
The computer responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner.
What is pre-recorded execution?
The computer automatically runs programmed instructions.
What is high-speed storage?
The ability to store and retrieve large amounts of data quickly.
Who were the original computers?
Humans whose job was to perform mathematical calculations.
What was the primary duty of human computers?
Calculating complex mathematical expressions.
Why were human computers expensive?
They required years of advanced mathematical training.
When was the word "computer" first recorded?
1613
What did the word "computer" originally mean?
A person who performed calculations.
Until when did "computer" refer to a person?
Until the middle of the 20th century.
What are tally sticks?
Ancient memory aids used to record numbers and track quantities or messages.
What is an abacus?
A mechanical calculation aid.
Where was the abacus invented?
Babylonia
When was the abacus invented?
Around 2400 B.C.
Where did the modern form of the abacus develop?
China around 500 B.C.
What arithmetic operations can the abacus perform?
Basic arithmetic operations.
Who invented Napier's Bones?
John Napier.
When was Napier's Bones invented?
1614
What operations can Napier's Bones perform?
Multiplication, division, square roots, and cube roots.
Who invented the Slide Rule?
William Oughtred.
When was the Slide Rule invented?
1622
What mathematical operations can the Slide Rule perform?
Multiplication, division, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry.
What can the Slide Rule NOT perform?
Addition and subtraction.
Who invented the Pascaline?
Blaise Pascal.
When was the Pascaline invented?
1642
What operations can the Pascaline perform?
Addition and subtraction.
What was the major limitation of the Pascaline?
It was expensive.
Who invented the Stepped Reckoner?
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
When was the Stepped Reckoner invented?
1672
Why is the Stepped Reckoner important?
It was the first machine capable of automatic calculations.
What operations can the Stepped Reckoner perform?
Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Who invented the Jacquard Loom?
Joseph-Marie Jacquard.
What controlled the Jacquard Loom?
Punched cards.
Who invented the Arithmometer?
Thomas de Colmar.
When was the Arithmometer invented?
1820
Why is the Arithmometer important?
It was the first commercially successful calculating machine.
Who invented the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine?
Charles Babbage.
When was the Difference Engine invented?
1822
When was the Analytical Engine invented?
1834
Why is Charles Babbage important?
He created the world's first mechanical computer
Who is considered the first computer programmer?
Augusta Ada Byron (Ada Lovelace)
What did Ada Lovelace suggest to Charles Babbage?
To use the binary system
What did Ada Lovelace write?
The first programs for the Analytical Engine.
Who invented the Scheutzian Calculation Engine?
Per Georg Scheutz.
Who invented the Tabulating Machine?
Herman Hollerith.
When was the Tabulating Machine invented?
1890
What was the purpose of the Tabulating Machine?
Summarizing information and accounting
What is another name for Harvard Mark I?
IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC).
Who invented the Harvard Mark I?
Howard H. Aiken.
When was the Harvard Mark I built?
1943
Why is the Harvard Mark I significant?
It was the first electromechanical computer.
Who built the Z1?
Konrad Zuse
When was the Z1 built?
Between 1936 and 1938.
Why is the Z1 significant?
It was the first programmable computer.
Who invented the ABC Computer?
John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry.
When was the ABC Computer built?
Between 1939 and 1942.
Why is the ABC Computer significant?
It was the first electronic digital computing device.
What does ENIAC stand for?
Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.
Who developed ENIAC?
John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.
When was ENIAC completed?
1946
Why is ENIAC important?
It was the first electronic general-purpose computer.
What does UNIVAC stand for?
Universal Automatic Computer.
Why is UNIVAC I significant?
It was the world's first commercial computer.
What does EDVAC stand for?
Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer.
Who designed EDVAC?
John von Neumann.
Why is EDVAC important?
It was the first stored-program computer.
What was the first portable computer?
Osborne 1.
When was Osborne 1 released?
1981
What was the first computer company?
Electronic Controls Company
When was the first computer company founded?
1949
Who founded the first computer company?
John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.
What are the four stages of Information Technology development?
Pre-Mechanical Age, Mechanical Age, Electromechanical Age, and Electronic Age.
When was the Pre-Mechanical Age?
3000 B.C. to 1450 A.D.
When was the Mechanical Age?
1450 to 1840.
When was the Electromechanical Age?
1840 to 1940.
When was the Electronic Age?
1940 to the present.
What were petroglyphs?
Rock carvings used for early communication.
Who invented cuneiform?
The Sumerians.
Around what year was cuneiform developed?
Around 3000 B.C.
Who added vowels to the alphabet?
The Greeks
Who created the modern alphabet system?
The Romans
Who kept the earliest books?
Religious leaders in Mesopotamia
What writing material did Egyptians use?
Scrolls
Who first bound papyrus into book form?
The Greeks
What was the first information processor?
The Abacus
How was the number 1 represented in the Egyptian system?
A vertical line
How was 10 represented?
A U-shaped symbol (or circle)
How was 100 represented?
A coiled rope
How was 1,000 represented?
A lotus blossom
Who invented the first numbering system similar to today's?
Hindus in India
When was zero developed?
Around 875 A.D.
Who invented movable type printing?
Johann Gutenberg
When was movable type invented?
1450
Who invented the first mechanical calculator?
Wilhelm Schickard
When was the first mechanical calculator invented?
1623
Why is Charles Babbage called the Father of the Modern Computer?
Because he invented the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine