CSCI 101: Intro to Computer Science
Topic 1: A history of computing
Mon, Jun 2 - Sun, Jun 8, 2025
Activity
- Read Module 1 in the textbook.
- Browse the online materials.
- Make the lab exercises.
- Take the online quiz* at the bottom of this webpage. The quiz will be not graded, it is just for self-checking purposes.
- Submit your homework on Canvas.
Objectives
- Describe one of the first computers that was designed over a hundred years ago
- Discuss some historical events of Computer Science
- Describe the explosive growth of computers during the last three decades
- Develop your basic surfing skills for browsing World Wide Web by using a web browser
Internet Resources
Warning: This page contains links to external Web sites. Some of them might be temporarily or permanently off.
- Origins
- The born of computers. Please pay
particular attention to the following chapters:
- 1500: Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical calculator
- 1640: Blaise Pascal's arithmetic machine
- 1800: Jacquard's loom and punched cards
- 1830: Charles Babbage's Difference and Analytical engines
- Herman Hollerith (IBM)
- 1939: Howard Aiken (relays, Harvard Marc I)
- 1939: John Atanasoff (linear eqs., vacuum tubes, picture of ABC)
- 1941: Konrad Zuse (Z1 - Z4)
- 1943: Alan Turing and
Colossus
- Letter frequences (local resource)
- Letter frequences (from Wikipedia)
- 1943: John von Neumann and ENIAC
- Inventors of Modern Computers
- Computer Generations
- The Machine that Changed the World, also check it here
- Charles Babbage Institute
- Computer History Museum
- History of the World Wide Web
- Women in Computing
- Triumph of the Nerds
Labs
You do not need to submit your lab work on server, it won't be graded.
You can, however, ask the instructor if you are stuck with a lab.
Online Quiz*
Assignment 1. Due: Mon, Jun 9
(*)
The quiz is provided by the Publisher and the authors of the textbook.
It is also available from the supplied CDROM.