First week homework

1.) what was unique about Charles Babbage Analytical Engine, compared to his original Difference Engine?

The differences amongst the two engines was that the Difference Engine was designed to calculate the squared power of numbers whereas the Analytical Engine was able to lead to the further construction of computers with multiple-purposes that are designated by the user.

2.) what role did Ada Lovelace play in the development of the Analytical Engine?

Ada Lovelace was basically the first computer programmer and acted as a medium between Babbage and the public.

3.) how was the ENIAC computer reprogrammed?

Every time that users wanted to solve a problem, they would need to reset a set of wires connected to 6000 switches, which in turn were routed to hundreds of cables that made up the machine.

4.) name an innovation that helped make programming faster post ENIAC

Cobal, fortran, and other computer languages were developed to transfer human language into binary.

5.) what is it about binary counting that makes it so well suited for commuters?

The binary code only utilizes two numbers, 1 and 0.

6.) in what ways did UNIVAC influence the portrayal if computers in popular culture in the 1950s? Give an example.

Computers were portrayed as evil machines that took over the role of humans in the workplace. However, they were also portrayed as machines that were utilized to make life easier by performing minute tasks that most ordinary people didn't want to do.

7.) code breaking required the automatic manipulation of symbols to unscramble messages during WWII. What was the name of the rudimentary computer at Bletchley Park in England that unscrambles Nazi codes.

The name of the computer was Collosus.

8.) Alan Turing who understood the implications of such machines later went in to describe them as ________ machines.

Universal

9.) describe when you first used computers and what types of tasks you performed on them.

The first time I utilized a computer was back in the late 90s. I remember my uncle had one downstairs at his house and I was using it to play video games. I would play rudimentary video games on a small CRT monitor and I also remember using it when AOL online first came out. 

My uncle helped me set up my own email account (dogbump1@aol.com) and i used it to send messages to my friends and family members. I also remember receiving emails with funny anecdotes and holiday greetings. Little did I know that this first form of online social networking would turn so huge later on.

10.) how restricted do you think computers are in terms of what they can do compared to how they are most often used?

I think that a very small niche of people actually utilize a computer to it's actual potential. These include master programmers and people who require a vast usage of computers to perform daily tasks at work. Computers hold an immense deal of information and knowledge that is now easily accessible via the world wide web. They are also able to compute mathematical functions in a split second that would take the average person forever to do by hand.

Most users utilize the computer for a set purpose or to access the internet. When i talk to people regarding what they use the computer for, the most general replies are for performing work tasks, social networking, accessing information via the internet, utilizing it for all sources of media, and the occasional gaming. I also believe that computers in the future will only become faster, smaller, and much more efficient.