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Questions about Computer

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was the word computer first used to describe a human calculator?

The Online Etymology Dictionary gives the first attested use of computer in the 1640s, meaning one who calculates. This usage referred to a person who carried out calculations or computations by hand.

Who invented the concept of a programmable computer and when did he announce it?

Charles Babbage originated the concept of a programmable computer and announced his invention in 1822 in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society. He designed the analytical engine which used punched cards for inputting programs and data.

What date marks the first working integrated circuit demonstration?

Jack Kilby successfully demonstrated the first working integrated example on the 12th of September 1958. Geoffrey W.A. Dummer presented the first public description of an integrated circuit at the Symposium on Progress in Quality Electronic Components in Washington DC on the 7th of May 1952.

Which device is considered the first single-chip microprocessor and who designed it?

The Intel 4004 is largely undisputed as the first single-chip microprocessor. Federico Faggin designed and realized this chip with his silicon-gate MOS IC technology along with Ted Hoff, Masatoshi Shima and Stanley Mazor at Intel.

When was the term bugs first used in computing history?

Admiral Grace Hopper is credited for having first used the term bugs in computing after a dead moth was found shorting a relay in the Harvard Mark II computer in September 1947. Bugs are errors in computer programs that may be benign or have subtle effects.