Category Computer

How can we measure intelligence?

          Most scientists define intelligence as the ability to learn, understand and analyze things, accompanied by a good memory and imagination. This implies that intelligence is a mixture of several abilities. We know that intelligence level differs from person to person depending upon the aforesaid traits. But can we measure intelligence so that the difference level can be clearly established? Till today neither the above definition of intelligence has been universally accepted nor do the various tests to measure it have a common appeal. In spite of the difficulties, there is one way widely used to measure intelligence — the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test. But what is IQ?

          ‘IQ’ is the abbreviation of a psychological phenomenon called ‘Intelligence Quotient’. It is expressed in a number. The IQ of an individual is obtained by dividing his mental age (it is determined by the performance on a standardized intelligence test) by his chronological age and multiplying the result by 100. 

          The mental age of an individual is determined with the help of different tests. Persons are classified under different categories depending on their IQ scores.

          At one time, many psychologists believed that everyone had some degree of inborn intelligence. It was also believed that intelligence was a natural trait like blue eyes, sharp nose etc. and could be ascertained in a single test. But a French psychologist, Alfred Binet, exploded this myth. He worked over this problem in an attempt to develop a test that would help to distinguish between intelligent and dull children. His first tests were given to some French school children in 1905. Later in 1915, these tests were adopted by the German psychologist William Stern and US psychologist Lewis Terman.

          Many psychologists believe that these intelligence tests are not the true indicators of one’s intelligence level and therefore do not give a complete picture of the factors that make up intelligence. For example, some tests measure what one has learnt but not how quickly he has learnt. We know that the grasping power of different people is different. They differ in their ability to understand and remember ideas.

          They also differ in the use of their knowledge and earlier experiences to solve problems. Hence till today there is no fully accepted definition of intelligence.

          It has been, however, concluded that intelligence mainly depends on heredity and the environment. Every person is born with a certain mental ability. The development of that ability may be activated or slowed down by his or her background. The socialization process which includes the environment plays a major role in shaping one’s intelligence. A child becomes a quick learner in areas which he experiences and observes in his day-to-day life. A child who is constantly ridiculed or beaten may develop a complex due to which he or she may not be able to develop his or her intellectual abilities fully. Many children who face discrimination because of race or physical defects fail to develop their mental abilities well. From these facts, it is clear that intelligence is not a natural trait like blue eyes. There is not a single trait that can be called intelligence, nor any single factor which determines it.

 

Why is the introduction of Wikipedia a turning point in the history of IT?

      The introduction of Wikipedia has been a major step towards making information accessible to all. It was founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger on January 15th, 2001.

       Owned by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia is perhaps the largest, and undoubtedly the most popular, reference work online. The content of the site has been used in academic books, researches, and even court cases.

       It was Larry Sanger who coined the name by mixing ‘wiki’ and ‘encyclopedia’. One of the important features of the site is that it can be edited by anyone. The slogan of the company reads, “The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit”.

       At first, there was only the English version of the Wikipedia, but soon other language versions too came up, making it easier for non-English users. In total, there are over 40 million wiki articles in 295 languages including Swedish, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, and Polish.

       However, it is the English Wikipedia that still remains the reader’s favourite, having nearly 18 million page views every month as of February 2014. It also has to its credit, a total of 5,325,006 articles.

 

What Is Live-Journal?

        Live-Journal is an online social network created by Brad Fitzpatrick on April 15th, 1999 in San Francisco. It affords users a platform for self expression through blogs, journals, or diaries, and an environment to connect with others.

        Similar to a blog, each account on Live-Journal has a home page, exhibiting the user’s entries and comments they have received. Privacy it ensured in such a way that the users get to edit their friend list and set viewer restrictions. This way, Live-Journal acts more or less like a diary.

        There are free, as well as paid accounts on Live-Journal. Paid members earn the advantage of sending text messages, voice notes, and extra storage, as well as an access to the ‘Express Lane’, making the Live-Journal experience more effective.

        Fitzpatrick started it off as an online community to stay in touch with his schoolmates, and keeping them updated. Soon the venture was established commercially, and the company was named Danga Interactive. It turned out so successful that by 2012, there were over 10 million people across the globe using Live-Journal. At present, Live-Journal is partnered with an online newspaper (Gazeta.ru) in Russia.

 

Why is it said that the introduction of Microsoft is a turning point in history of IT?

     The role of Microsoft in the growth of IT is unparalleled. Perhaps the biggest change it caused was making computer technology accessible to people across the world.

     The history of Microsoft began when Bill Gates and Paul Allen developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the MITS Altair 8800, the first microcomputer. This happened in 1975.

     Bill Gates was still a student at Harvard. He then discontinued his studies, and started working on ‘Micro-Soft’.

     The company was established on April 4th, 1975. The hyphen was later removed, and the trade name ‘Microsoft’ was registered officially in 1976. In the same year, Microsoft became independent from MITS, and focused on developing programming languages.

     Microsoft then worked with technology giant IBM for a brief period and in 1981 they introduced the operating system called MS DOS. This made Microsoft a major player in the industry.

     The years that followed witnessed other significant projects from the company. Some of them are – the Windows, a graphical operating systems collective, Office XP, a popular business software suite, Xbox 360, which provided it complete entertainment experience, Surface 3 tablets etc.

     In September 2016, Microsoft announced the formation of the Artificial Intelligence (Al) and Research Group.

 

When was the film invented?

The film as the storage option for images was invented at the beginning of the 19th century. The researchers at that time were experimenting with toxic chemicals to store light reflected from the objects on a long-term basis. The Frenchman, Louis Daguerre, finally succeeded in 1837 to fix the images on a light-sensitive material in a salt bath. This was the first film. However, the exposure times were very long. People had to sit for a long time while the photographer captured their image on a photographic plate. The path to the film roll was paved in 1889 by the American George Eastman – a thin layer of silver salts was applied on flexible plastic celluloid. Digital cameras do not need this because they store everything on a computer chip. 

Where is a simulation program used?

Simulation programs are used for training in areas where the possibility of something going wrong is very dangerous. For instance, a trainee pilot does not fly an aircraft just after training. Before that he practices at a simulator, which behaves like an aircraft, but is on the ground so it does not crash if le pilot makes a mistake. We can also simulate a fault in a power plant or a tsunami. Trainees must demonstrate that they can handle he crisis effectively.