Introduction to Computing and Computer History

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the definition of a computer, key historical figures like Babbage and Turing, and the unique characteristics of the five generations of computer evolution.

Computer

An electronic device that manipulates data, or information, with the ability to store, retrieve, and process data.

Charles Babbage

An English polymath and mathematician considered by some to be the "father of the computer" who originated the concept of a digital programmable computer in 1820.

Difference Engine

An automatic machine that produced a series of polynomial calculations that were repeatable and error-free.

Analytical Engine

First described in 1837 as a successor to the difference engine, it was a design for a simpler mechanical calculator.

Ada Lovelace

Considered the first computer programmer; she realized the Analytical Engine could follow a program (a series of simple instructions) to perform complex calculations.

Herman Hollerith

An American inventor who developed an electromechanical tabulating machine for punched cards to assist in summarizing information for the 1890 U. S. Census.

Punched card machine

An electromechanical machine designed to process data for the 1890 U. S. Census that eventually became the basis for IBM (International Business Machines).

Alan Turing

Often considered the father of modern computer science, he developed early modern computers, decoded German Enigma machines, and detailed the Turing Test.

Turing Test

A procedure detailed by Alan Turing that forms the basis for artificial intelligence.

Turing Machine

A theoretical computational model capable of computing anything that is computable, moving beyond machines designed only for specific hardware tasks.

Konrad Zuse

A German civil engineer and pioneering computer scientist whose greatest achievement was the world's first programmable computer.

Z3 (computer)

The world's first working programmable, fully automatic digital computer which used Boolean logic, binary, and relays to make decisions.

First Generation of Computers

Occupying the period from 1946 - 1958, these machines (like ENIAC) used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory.

ENIAC

Acronym for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, a first-generation computer.

Second Generation of Computers

Spanning 1959 - 1964, this generation saw transistors replace vacuum tubes, making computers smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient.

Third Generation of Computers

Spanning 1965 - 1970, this era introduced Integrated Circuits, keyboards, monitors, and operating systems that could run many applications at once.

Fourth Generation of Computers

From 1971 - Present, characterized by the microprocessor (VLSI), where thousands of integrated circuits are built onto a single silicon chip.

Fifth Generation of Computers

The future of computing based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), parallel processing, and superconductors to develop devices that learn and respond to natural language.