From Boole's Logic to the Transistor: teacher key

How Computers Work, grade 10 edition, written for 10th grade. Meet the rules of logic that digital computers rely on, the first transistor, and the silicon chip.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Who set out the rules of logic that digital computers rely on?
   • George Boole (answer)
   • Walter Brattain
   • Doug Engelbart
2. Which three operations did Boole argue can perform all logic functions?
   • READ, SAVE and COPY
   • AND, OR and NOT (answer)
   • ADD, SUB and MUL
3. What did the first transistor do to a signal?
   • Erased it
   • Printed it
   • Amplified it up to 100 times (answer)
4. What material were most transistors made of by 1960?
   • Silicon (answer)
   • Gold
   • Plastic
5. Why must computers convert analog signals?
   • They have no wires
   • They process ones and zeros (answer)
   • They cannot hear

Words

• Boole: English mathematician
• semiconductor: in-between material
• transistor: solid state switch
• analog: continuously varying