Pentathlon 2024 Social Science

Project Whirlwind was associated with which university?

• Harvard

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• California Institute of Technology

• University of Pennsylvania

• New York University

Answer explanation

Project Whirlwind was associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), making it the correct choice.

Howard Aiken designed which electromechanical computer built by IBM?

• Harvard Mark I

• Differential Analyzer

• ABC

• Analytical Engine

• ENIAC

Answer explanation

Howard Aiken designed the Harvard Mark I, an electromechanical computer built by IBM.

John Backus worked at IBM in the 1950s and made a major contribution through his realization that

• specific tasks, called subroutines, could be called up at different points as needed

• if ends of paper were glued together systematically, they could form a sequencing loop

• the most expensive cost of running a computer was paying human programmers

• high level programming could be developed using a mix of math and English

• if a computer could be configured to run a sequence automatically, it would save time

Answer explanation

John Backus realized that the most expensive cost of running a computer was paying human programmers.

Firing tables were created primarily at the Ballistics Research Laboratory in

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Washington D.C.

• Aberdeen, Maryland

• Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Berkeley, California

Answer explanation

The firing tables were primarily created at the Ballistics Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Maryland. This location played a crucial role in developing accurate ballistic calculations.

The first practical typewriter was designed and patented by

• James Densmore

• Christopher Latham Sholes

• Philo Remington

• James Ritty

• William S. Burroughs

Answer explanation

The first practical typewriter was designed and patented by Christopher Latham Sholes. He is credited with inventing the QWERTY keyboard layout, which is still used today.

The ENIAC was superior to previous mechanical calculators for its ability to

• perform arithmetic in binary

• create automated firing tables

• predict outcomes from data sets

• perform conditional branching

• employ a differential analyzer

Answer explanation

The ENIAC was superior because it could perform conditional branching, allowing for more complex calculations and decision-making.

The operating system GNU was written by

• Linus Torvalds

• Ted Nelson

• Tim Berners Lee

• Richard Stallman

• Eric Bina

Answer explanation

The operating system GNU was written by Richard Stallman. He is the correct choice.

All of the following are true concerning the growth of IBM EXCEPT

• the IBM 5650 was more expensive than 701 or 702

• the IBM 701 was about as powerful as the UNIVAC

• the IBM 701 used William Tubes for memory storage

• the IBM 702 was marketed for business data processing

• the IBM 650 was primarily marketed for universities

Answer explanation

The IBM 5650 was not more expensive than 701 or 702. This statement is false.

The program which translated assembly language into numeric codes is called a(n):

• algorithm

• loop

• computer

• object code

• assembler

Answer explanation

The program that translates assembly language into numeric codes is called an assembler. It converts human-readable assembly instructions into machine-readable object code.

Which term means, “forms of writing which branch or perform on request”?

• browser

• googol

• chatbot

• hypertext

• QWERTY

Answer explanation

The term 'hypertext' refers to forms of writing that branch or perform on request. It is the correct choice among the given options.