History Vocabulary

Before taking this test, please remember to study the History Vocabulary Words!

Please answer the questions to the best of your abilities by choosing the correct word for each definition. When you have answered all of the questions, click the "Check Answer" button. A box will pop-up with your score. You will be asked to show this score to your teacher, or print out the results.

A manual aid to calculating that consists of beads or disks that can be moved up and down on a series of sticks or strings within a usually wooden frame
Binary Digit; a single digital piece of information3; represented by 1's and 0's
8 bits
Central Processing Unit; The heart of the computer, this is the component that actually executes instructions.
Acronym for Disk Operating System - used in IBM PC's.
Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator; began construction in 1943 and completed in 1946. Occupied about 1,800 square feet and used about 18,000 vacuum tubes, weighing almost 50 tons. Created to help with the war efforts against German forces.
A small, portable computer disk which can be used for storing documents and other computer files
a large capacity storage device made of multiple disks housed in a rigid case1 The hard drive can also be used for storing documents. Usually known as a the c: drive.
Enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs.
A small, hand held device used to move the cursor and select items
Personal Computer; A small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor.
Random Access Memory; A temporary storage area where your computer can read and write file and application information
Read Only Memory; Memory that can only be read from and not written to.
A manual device used for calculation that consists in its simple form of a ruler and a movable middle piece which are graduated with similar logarithmic scales
An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second
A machine for writing in characters similar to those produced by printer's type by means of keyboard-operated types striking a ribbon to transfer ink or carbon impressions onto the paper
Universal Automatic Computer; A trademark of Unisys corporation; it was released in 1951 and 1952. Contains thousands of vacuum tubes that utilize punch cards and switches
A glass tube from which all gas has been removed, creating a vacuum. Contained electrodes for controlling electron flow and were commonly used in early computers as a switch or an amplifier.