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Can I Get An Upgrade? Trivia Quiz

Ever get the feeling the your computer is obsolete the minute you get it home from the store? That feeling has been around for a long time. Computer science has been progressing by leaps and bounds. How well do you you know your computer history?

A multiple-choice quiz by jmarlin. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
jmarlin

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
340,055

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
596

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This person, considered the father of computers, designed the mechanical Difference Engine in the 1820s to compute values of polynomial equations. Who was he/she? Hint

Charles Babbage

Joseph Jacquard

Ada Lovelace

Alan Turing

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Who laid out the basic concept of a modern computer as a computing machine that uses algorithms to produce results? His name is attached to a theoretical machine in many thought experiments. Hint

Kurt Godel

Bill Gates

Thomas Cray

Alan Turing

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. What was the first general purpose digital computer? It was developed at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, as secret Project PX for the US Army during World War II. Hint

UNIVAC

COLOSSUS

ABACUS

ENIAC

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Whose law observes that the number of transistors in integrated circuits, and hence computing power, double every two years? Hint

Gordon Moore

Bill Nye

Steve Jobs

John von Neumann

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. What was the new mainframe computer model that replaced the venerable IBM System 360 in 1970? It belatedly introduced the virtual memory addressing to overcome the 360's 24-bit memory address bus limit. Hint

System 460

System 370

Z80

PDP-11

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. With the introduction of cheap microprocessor chips, personal computing became viable. What early microcomputer pioneer was offered as a kit, built around the Intel 8080 chip, that debuted in the January 1975 edition of Popular Electronics? Hint

IBM PC

Amiga

TRS-80

Altair 8800

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. What product did Radio Shack introduce in 1977 that became a leading home & business computer by the early 1980s? It spawned many domestic and international clones before the arrival if the IBM PC? Hint

TRS-80

Commodore 64

Amiga

Apple II

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The other computers were still pricey for my budget in 1982. But I could afford this low cost computer based on a Motorola 6809 chip. It was actually had color a display(my TV) and a multitasking OS-9 operating system but the basic computer had only 4K of RAM. What was this short-lived system? Hint

Commodore 64

Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer

Apple II

Amiga

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. I knew I could do better than my last computer. I tried again in 1984 but was still looking for a cheap system. What low end PC product did I buy that was expected to stabilize the home computer market but ended up selling "as sluggishly as Edsels in the late 1950s" according to a Time Magazine article? Hint

Atari 800

Apple Macintosh

IBM PCjr

Coleco Adam

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. I finally wised up by 1986 and bought a more mainstream PC. Still looking for a low price, I bought a clone rather that this IBM model that dominated the market with the introduction of an Intel 80286 processor. What model was it? Hint

IBM PC-AT

IBM PC-XT

IBM 360

IBM PC

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This person, considered the father of computers, designed the mechanical Difference Engine in the 1820s to compute values of polynomial equations. Who was he/she?

Answer: Charles Babbage

It was never completed but would have weighed 15 tons. Not exactly a laptop!

2. Who laid out the basic concept of a modern computer as a computing machine that uses algorithms to produce results? His name is attached to a theoretical machine in many thought experiments.

Answer: Alan Turing

Alan Turing played a significant role in designing machines to break the German enigma code at Bletchley Park during World War II.

3. What was the first general purpose digital computer? It was developed at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, as secret Project PX for the US Army during World War II.

Answer: ENIAC

ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator. It was used to compute artillery ballistics tables and announced to the public in 1946. Built with vacuum tubes, it generated enough waste heat to keep the entire building warm through the winter.

4. Whose law observes that the number of transistors in integrated circuits, and hence computing power, double every two years?

Answer: Gordon Moore

It isn't your imagination! He predicted that the trend would continue for at least 10 years in 1965. It is still holding true almost 50 years later. Gordon Moore was co-founder of Intel Corporation.

Answer: System 370

When I was first exposed to computers in 1973, my school had just upgraded to the 370 with more computing power that they could figure out how to use. So students and faculty could run as many 30 second programs as they wanted.

Answer: Altair 8800

The original computer with a 4k memory listed for $959 assembled in 1975. With inflation that would be over $3800 in 2010 dollars.

Answer: TRS-80

The TRS-80 Model I generated so much electrical interference that some games used an AM radio next to the computer to generate sounds effects.

Answer: Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer

Unfortunately, you could not use all of the massive memory for programs. About half of the RAM was dedicated to the graphic memory for the nice 320x200 color display.

Answer: IBM PCjr

IBM discontinued the model less than two years after its introduction with reportedly 100,000 leftover units that were offered at deep discounts to employees. It could not compete with the popularity of the more capable IBM-AT and the introduction of the Apple Macintosh.

Answer: IBM PC-AT

This was the last computer that I bought supplied with a circuit board schematic. The idea of build it yourself computers had largely died by then.

Source: Author jmarlin

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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