Computer Generations - Quiz

Q: Who completed a simplified version of the Analytical Engine's computing unit in 1888?

A. Charles Babbage
B. Ada Lovelace
C. Henry Babbage
D. Lord Kelvin

Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Explanation: Charles Babbage invented the Analytical Engine, but his son Henry Babbage completed a simplified version of the Analytical Engine's computing unit (the mill) in 1888.

Q: Chip is a common nickname for a(n)

A. transistor
B. resistor
C. integrated circuit
D. semiconductor

Correct Option: C
Explanation: integrated circuit. [IBPS Clerk 2014, 15]

Q: Which of the following uses a handheld operating system?

A. A supercomputer
B. A personal computer
C. A PDA
D. A mainframe

Correct Option: C
Explanation: A PDA [SBI PO 2013]

Q: What is the name of the law that predicted that the transistor count in microprocessors would double roughly every two years?

A. Boyle's law
B. Newton's law
C. Ohm's law
D. Moore's law

Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Explanation: Moore's law is a prediction made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965 that the number of transistors in a microprocessor would double roughly every two years. This prediction has held true for several decades and has been a driving force behind the rapid advancement of computer technology.

Q: How was data input provided to the Analytical Engine?

A. Through a printer
B. Through punched cards
C. Through a keyboard
D. Through a mouse

Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Explanation: Data input was provided to the Analytical Engine via punched cards, a method used at the time to direct mechanical looms.

Q: What was the purpose of the tide-predicting machine?

A. Solving problems in proportion, trigonometry, multiplication and division
B. Calculating the area of a closed figure
C. Predicting the perpetual calendar
D. Predicting tide levels for a set period at a particular location

Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Explanation: Predicting tide levels for a set period at a particular location. The tide-predicting machine was invented by the Scottish scientist Sir William Thomson in 1872.

Q: What was the first modern analog computer?

A. Tide-predicting machine
B. Differential analyzer
C. Mechanical integrator
D. Torque amplifier

Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Explanation: The tide-predicting machine, invented by William Thomson in 1872, was the first modern analog computer.

Q: The period of the second generation computers was

A. 1946-1958
B. 1940-1960
C. 1956-63
D. 1957-1964

Correct Option: C
Explanation: <h3>Generation: Second (1956-63) </h3> Switching Device: Transistors (Made up of semiconductor) Storage Device/Speed: Magnetic core technology (10 micro seconds) Operating System: Time sharing OS, Multitasking OS (Assembly language, high level language) Characteristics: <ul> <li>More reliable and less prone to hardware failure.</li> <li>Portable and generate less amount of heat.</li> </ul> Applications: Used for commercial production e.g. PDP-8, IBM-1401, etc.

Q: Time sharing became possible in ______ generation of computers.

A. First
B. Second
C. Third
D. Fourth

Correct Option: B
Explanation: <h3>Generation: Second (1956-63) </h3> Switching Device: Transistors (Made up of semiconductor) Storage Device/Speed: Magnetic core technology (10 micro seconds) Operating System: Time sharing OS, Multitasking OS (Assembly language, high level language) Characteristics: <ul> <li>More reliable and less prone to hardware failure.</li> <li>Portable and generate less amount of heat.</li> </ul> Applications: Used for commercial production e.g. PDP-8, IBM-1401, etc.

Q: How many differential analyzers were built before becoming obsolete?

A. One
B. Two
C. A dozen
D. Hundreds

Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Explanation: A dozen differential analyzers were built before their obsolescence became obvious