Silicon Chip — Questions and answers

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What was special about Robert Noyce's 'planar process'?

Choices

  1. It made circuits using many separate pieces with gold wires.
  2. It created all the parts and their connections on one flat piece of silicon. ✓
  3. It was a way to make circuits much bigger than before.
  4. It only worked for very simple electronic toys.

Answer: It created all the parts and their connections on one flat piece of silicon.

From page 5

What do transistors act like in a silicon chip?

Choices

  1. Tiny lights that glow
  2. Tiny switches or things that make signals stronger ✓
  3. Tiny bells that ring
  4. Tiny wheels that spin

Answer: Tiny switches or things that make signals stronger

From page 7

What was one of the first big ways silicon chips helped many people with math?

Choices

  1. They helped build very large supercomputers.
  2. They were used in pocket calculators. ✓
  3. They made televisions much bigger.
  4. They powered the first rocket ships to the moon.

Answer: They were used in pocket calculators.

From page 8

What does Moore's Law say about the number of transistors on a microchip?

Choices

  1. The number of transistors stays the same forever.
  2. The number of transistors gets smaller every two years.
  3. The number of transistors roughly doubles every two years. ✓
  4. The number of transistors decreases by half every year.

Answer: The number of transistors roughly doubles every two years.

From page 9

What does the text say the silicon chip is today?

Choices

  1. Just a small part that isn't very important anymore.
  2. The unseen, basic engine that runs our interconnected world. ✓
  3. Only used in special computers for space travel.
  4. An old invention that is rarely used now.

Answer: The unseen, basic engine that runs our interconnected world.

From page 10