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Quiz about Origin of Computer Terms
Quiz about Origin of Computer Terms

Origin of Computer Terms Trivia Quiz


Match each given word origin to the correct computer-related term.

A matching quiz by AlexT781. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
AlexT781
Time
3 mins
Type
Match Quiz
Quiz #
386,926
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
10 / 10
Plays
1492
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 103 (5/10), Guest 116 (10/10), Guest 62 (9/10).
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
QuestionsChoices
1. Abbreviated form of 'binary digit'   
  computer
2. Term erroneously attributed to the discovery of a moth inside a computer in 1946  
  worm
3. Originally referred to people who performed various calculations  
  motherboard
4. Formed from combining 'network' with the name of the substance once thought to exist in empty space  
  mouse
5. Common name for the operating system first called "Linus' Minix"  
  boot
6. The origin of the name of this common pointing device is just a click away  
  bit
7. This type of drive was named for the flexible disk it originally used  
  bug
8. Name of a type of malware taken from a 1970s sci-fi novel  
  Ethernet
9. Process whose name originates from the "bootstrap paradox"  
  floppy disk drive
10. Named initially for having "baby-boards" attached to it  
  Linux





Select each answer

1. Abbreviated form of 'binary digit'
2. Term erroneously attributed to the discovery of a moth inside a computer in 1946
3. Originally referred to people who performed various calculations
4. Formed from combining 'network' with the name of the substance once thought to exist in empty space
5. Common name for the operating system first called "Linus' Minix"
6. The origin of the name of this common pointing device is just a click away
7. This type of drive was named for the flexible disk it originally used
8. Name of a type of malware taken from a 1970s sci-fi novel
9. Process whose name originates from the "bootstrap paradox"
10. Named initially for having "baby-boards" attached to it

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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Abbreviated form of 'binary digit'

Answer: bit

The word 'bit' has been around since 1947. Today, we usually don't concern ourselves with bits. Instead, we normally encounter megabytes and gigabytes, approximately equal to 8 million bits and 8 billion bits, respectively.
2. Term erroneously attributed to the discovery of a moth inside a computer in 1946

Answer: bug

The common story on the origin of 'bug', to mean a computer error, is usually attributed to a programmer finding a moth flying around inside the massive computers of the late 1940s. However, it had been in use since the late 1870s to refer to problems with any new invention.
3. Originally referred to people who performed various calculations

Answer: computer

The word computer has been around since the mid-1600s, meaning somebody who performs mathematical calculations. It wasn't until the 1940s that computer began to exclusively refer to a machine.
4. Formed from combining 'network' with the name of the substance once thought to exist in empty space

Answer: Ethernet

The inventor of Ethernet, Robert Metcalfe, named it after ether because the early Ethernet prototype was described as "data flowing up into the ether". Ethernet was developed in the mid-1970s, and has become the most common wired network type.
5. Common name for the operating system first called "Linus' Minix"

Answer: Linux

Originally, Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, decided to call the operating system Freax, but a coworker thought it was a horrible name and renamed the project Linux, a name Torvalds had earlier decided against.
6. The origin of the name of this common pointing device is just a click away

Answer: mouse

Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse in 1964. As to why it's called a mouse, everybody has their favorite myth. However, Engelbart said in 1968, "I don't know why we call it a mouse. It started that way and we never changed it."
7. This type of drive was named for the flexible disk it originally used

Answer: floppy disk drive

Floppy disks were developed in the late 1960s, and were at first very flexible even though they eventually were made rigid. First appearing at 8 inches, they shrunk to 5.25 inches, and finally 3.5 inches before finally becoming obsolete.
8. Name of a type of malware taken from a 1970s sci-fi novel

Answer: worm

"Worm" was used in John Brunner's 1975 "The Shockwave Rider" to mean a computer program that replicates itself over a network. Possibly the first large-scale worm, the Morris worm, was released in 1988, and resulted in the first conviction under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
9. Process whose name originates from the "bootstrap paradox"

Answer: boot

The purpose of the boot process is not only to load the operating system, but also to make sure required components are present and working properly. The reason it's named after the bootstrap paradox is that all computer programs depend on some other software to run, but when the computer is first turned on, there is no software available at first.
10. Named initially for having "baby-boards" attached to it

Answer: motherboard

"Motherboard" has been around since the late 1950s. Today, the reason they are called motherboards is forgotten due to technology improvements. The first boards required the attachment of "baby-boards" to perform any function. Modern motherboards have the required components built-in.
Source: Author AlexT781

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