WorksheetsCS #2 Electronic Computing
Total questions: 11
Worksheet time: 8mins
One of the largest electro-mechanical computers built, it was completed in 1944 by IBM. A 50 foot shaft running through the machine driven by a 5 horsepower engine kept the internal mechanics synchronized. Which computer fits this description?
Harvard Mk I
Colossus Mk I
ENIAC
IBM 608
What were the major issues with electronically controlled mechanical switches?
Select all that apply
They had mass
They were prone to failure
The machines using them attracted bugs
They relied on instantaneous transmission of electrons
Why was the vacuum tube a significant upgrade to mechanical relays?
Select all that apply
There were no moving parts
Thermionic emission is almost instantaneous
They had a high burnout rate
They looked cooler
What was the computer that made heavy use of vacuum tubes - making it the first fully electronic programmable computer?
Colossus Mk I
Harvard Mk I
Altair 8800
IBM 608
What were some of the issues with vacuum tubes?
Parts were suspended in glass bulb
Prone to burnout
Very expensive
They did not perform well
What were the keys to the transistors success?
Smaller components
Components packaged in a solid state
The semiconductor
They just worked faster
What were the defining characteristics of the ENIAC computer?
General Purpose
Programmable
Electronic
Supersonic
Specialized
This computer was the first to only use transistors.
IBM 608
Harvard Mk II
Colossus Mk I
ENIAC
Who worked on the development of the vacuum tube?
John Ambrose Flemming
Lee de Forest
J. Presper Eckert
William Shockley
Who developed the transistor?
John Bardeen
Walter Brattain
William Shockley
John Mauchly
Tommy Flowers
What company, renowned for their processors, has a direct line to William Shockley and his semiconductor company?
(a)
