Mechanical Computer — Questions and answers
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Why did Charles Babbage want to build a machine to help with calculations?
Choices
- To help people get more exercise
- To make calculations more precise and avoid human errors ✓
- To replace all human workers
- To build a new type of boat
Answer: To make calculations more precise and avoid human errors
From page 1
What part of the Analytical Engine was designed to hold all the numerical values?
Choices
- The Mill
- The Store ✓
- The Input Mechanism
- The Control Unit
Answer: The Store
From page 5
How did Babbage plan to give instructions and data to the Analytical Engine?
Choices
- By shouting commands at it
- By typing on a keyboard
- By using punch cards with holes ✓
- By drawing pictures for it to follow
Answer: By using punch cards with holes
From page 6
According to Babbage, what does the Analytical Engine do?
Choices
- It thinks by itself and makes decisions
- It executes complex instructions with great accuracy ✓
- It makes a lot of noise while working
- It can learn new things on its own
Answer: It executes complex instructions with great accuracy
From page 7
What important contribution did Ada Lovelace make to the Analytical Engine's concept?
Choices
- She built the first gears for the Mill
- She invented the punch card system
- She created what is considered the first computer algorithm ✓
- She discovered a new type of number for the machine to use
Answer: She created what is considered the first computer algorithm
From page 8
Why was the Analytical Engine never fully built during Babbage's lifetime?
Choices
- Babbage lost interest in finishing it
- There wasn't enough money, people didn't care much, and it was too hard to build ✓
- Ada Lovelace told him to stop working on it
- They ran out of paper for the designs and instructions
Answer: There wasn't enough money, people didn't care much, and it was too hard to build
From page 9
How is Babbage's Analytical Engine connected to the computers we use today?
Choices
- It was the first computer ever built that worked perfectly
- It used entirely different ideas than modern computers
- Its design ideas, like separating processing and memory, are still used in modern computers ✓
- It was just a funny old toy with no real purpose
Answer: Its design ideas, like separating processing and memory, are still used in modern computers
From page 10