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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The telegraph invented by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail was based on what function?

2. By 1930, what had replaced the telegraph as the most advanced means of communication?

3. How were phonetic sounds represented in language?

4. What was the goal of James Murray when he wrote the first Oxford English Dictionary in 1879?

5. In what field was Charles Babbage an early pioneer?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who invented the telegraph and what is its fundamental functionality?

2. How did the development of the written language assist Greek philosophers in advancing mankind?

3. While Shannon worked on secret cryptography projects for the US government during World War II, what theory about information did he conceive?

4. What are the two "wordbooks" that Gleick refers to in this chapter?

5. What were examples of the use of mathematics in the Babylonian culture?

6. What innovation was made in the 17th century by Scot mathematician John Napier?

7. Who invented the "first" telegraph?

8. Who was Claude Shannon?

9. What innovative device did Charles Babbage design and build?

10. How was the "telephone number" born?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are some of the highlights of Claude Shannon's work on what he termed "information theory"? How did Shannon come to the conclusion that information needed to be separated into "bits" for the most effective transfer of information?

Essay Topic 2

Provides descriptions and the functionality of the "Differential Analyzer" and the "Principia Mathematica." How did early technological advancements lead to the merging of math and logic which lead to modern computing.

Essay Topic 3

Explain why electricity opened up the field of communication? How did the electric telegraph function and why was it superior to the earlier French version? How did the telegraph impact global communications?

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This section contains 620 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample