Computer pioneers Culture 9

​Computer pioneers

​LESSON SUMMARY
Reading: An article about code-breaking during World War Two
Listening: The story of the scientist and mathematician Ada Lovelace
Internet research: Researching facts about Bletchley Park, the secret code-breaking centre in the U.K.

​What can computers do that humans can't?

What can humans do better than computers?

A code is a system of words, letters, numbers, etc. that is used to make a message or information secret. A code-breaker solves the code so that other people can understand the message or information.

​Code-breakers

​Code-breakers

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1 The large machine is the Bombe, designed by Alan

Turing. It is an early form of computer used for breaking

complex codes.

2 The smaller machine is the earlier Enigma machine,

used by the Germans to send out and receive coded

information.

3 The Enigma machine is from the 1930s and the Bombe

is from World War II.

Labelling

Put the events in the order they happened, according to

the text.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

7

6

2

1

4

5

3

What does a computer program do?
What came first? The food or the cooking pot? What came first? The story or the book?

​Which happened first, do you think: the first computer was built or the first computer program was written?

Listen to the information about Ada Lovelace. What is the answer to the question?

​Which happened first, do you think: the first computer was built or the first computer program was written?

Hotspot

Listen again. Are the

sentences true or false? Choose TRUE sentences.

​INTERNET RESEARCH
Find out five more facts about

Bletchley Park and the people who worked there during World War II. Then share your information with the class.