Colossus computer

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/colossus-computer

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the category?World's first programmable, electronic, digital computer
2. What is the developed?1943-1945 by British codebreakers at Bletchley Park
3. What was the Colossus computer used for during World War II?It helped crack German secret codes, especially the Lorenz cipher, giving the Allies important information about enemy plans.
4. How many vacuum tubes did the Colossus Mark 1 have?The Mark 1 used about 1,800 vacuum tubes, called valves.

Cryptanalysis: The science and practice of deciphering encrypted communications without prior knowledge of the key.
Thermionic Valves: Electronic components used as switches and amplifiers in early electronic devices, functioning by controlling electron flow in a vacuum.
Lorenz Cipher: A highly complex teleprinter cipher used by the German High Command during World War II, considered one of the most sophisticated of its time.
Programmable Computer: A computer that can be instructed to perform a variety of tasks by changing its configuration or input, rather than being designed for a single purpose.