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Fundamentals of Computer Science Quiz

This quiz assesses knowledge of fundamental concepts in computer science, including digital logic, computer architecture, and key historical figures in computing. It is designed for students and enthusiasts looking to test their understanding of basic computer science terminology and principles.

#Computer Science #Digital Logic #Computer Architecture #History of Computing #ALU #Software Development

1 Each circuit represents a ________ (binary digit) of information so that when the circuit is on it represents a '1', and when off it represents a '0' (in positive logic representation).

2 The ________ saw a re-invigoration of European mathematics and engineering.

3 Modern von Neumann computers display some traits of the Harvard architecture in their designs, such as in ________.

4 The set of arithmetic operations that a particular ALU supports may be limited to adding and subtracting or might include multiplying or dividing, trigonometry functions (sine, cosine, etc) and ________.

5 ________ is another form of I/O.

6 In practical terms, a ________ may run from just a few instructions to many millions of instructions, as in a program for a word processor or a web browser.

7 Large computer programs consisting of several million instructions may take teams of ________ years to write, and due to the complexity of the task almost certainly contain errors.

8 A general purpose computer has four main components: the ________ (ALU), the control unit, the memory, and the input and output devices (collectively termed I/O).

9 This design was first formally described by ________ in the paper First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC, distributed in 1945.

10 The control unit, ALU, registers, and basic I/O (and often other hardware closely linked with these) are collectively known as a ________ (CPU).

💡 Interesting Facts

  • the Mark II radio telescope built in 1964 at Jodrell Bank Observatory, UK was the first telescope to be controlled by a digital computer.
  • the 74181 chip (pictured) greatly simplified the development and manufacture of computers during the late 1960s and 1970s.
  • the invention of the electronic digital computer was put into the public domain in 1973 by the decision of one of the longest federal court cases in the history of the United States.
  • the short-lived Apple Network Servers were the last non-Macintosh computers manufactured by Apple.
  • when the English programmer Pete Shaw was still a teen, he had already written eleven technical computer books, published around the world in several languages.
  • the 1975 film Tubby the Tuba marked the first time that computers were used in the production of an animated feature.
  • in modern India, the ethos of the old religious order is retained by worship of computers during the Ayudha Puja (pictured), as practised in the past for other implements.
  • extension conflicts helped give Macintosh computers a reputation for instability before the release of Mac OS X.
  • existence of arbitrarily many primes in arithmetic progression was proven in 2004, but it took 75 computers to find an example with 24 primes.
  • Woody Freeman, one of the Republicans defeated by Bill Clinton for governor of Arkansas, claimed he began a computer software business in 1985 with $3 in his account.
  • David Gross and Alan Kotok built Expensive Tape Recorder, a digital audio program that ran on MIT's TX-0 computer circa 1960.
  • a fire-control system is a computer which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target(s).
  • 1956 was the first time when a computer was able to play a chess-like game, Los Alamos chess.
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