How Much Do You Know About COMPUTERS?
Most likely, you’re reading this on Dell, Apple or Acer, and the color screen is clear and sharp.
You can play a game, search the Internet or listen to music; all at once if you like. But how does
your computer work? Here’s a test of your knowledge.
1. What machine best describes the very first computer?
a) a steam engine
b) a space ship
c) the inside of a clock
At http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage you can learn how
Charles Babbage designed the first computer using gears instead of
electricity. He created the plans in 1821 but never had the chance to
build it. The answer? A clock.
2. How many transistors can fit on the head of a pin?
At http://www.intel.com/museum/corporatetimeline/ you learn that the answer is millions (as of 2009). In 1978, a computer scientist (Gorden Moore) accurately predicted that computer brains would be small, fast and cheap. In other words, “transistor density on integrated circuits doubles about every two years.” If his 1978 prediction was applied to airlines, today a flight from New
York to Paris would cost less then a penny, and would be over in a second.
3. What is the name of the first laptop computer for
kids?
a) Apple IIc
b) Dynabook
c) XO computer
Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQg4LquY0uU and you can hear Alan Kay, a computer scientist, describe a plan he sketched
out back in 1968. It was wireless, had a touch screen, rechargeable
batteries, and he called it the “DynaBook.”
4. Back in 1984, there was a war between two computer
companies. One was Apple. Which one was the other?
a) IBM
b) Microsoft
c) Sun
At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSiQA6KKyJo you can hear how Apple was in a life or death battle with IBM. Later, many see the chief rival as Microsoft.
5. Who has more money. Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?
Answer. Bill Gates has ten times more money ($50 Billion) than Steve Jobs ($5.1 Billion) according to http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/10/bill-gates-down-7-billion-still-richest-american-jobs-47.ars and Forbes. Even with the recession, Bill Gates remains the richest person in the United States.
6. What was the first message sent over the Internet?
It consisted of the two letters “LO” according to http://www.cs.ucla.edu/~lk/LK/Inet/1stmesg.html. It was supposed to be LOG IN but the system crashed.
7. Question: Where do microprocessors come from
today?
At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duzO0YX4WnA, you can see the type of factory that is required to make a computer brain.
pp
