- 1. Norbert Wiener, a pioneering American mathematician and philosopher, is often regarded as the father of cybernetics, a field he helped to define and develop in the mid-20th century. His groundbreaking work combined various disciplines such as mathematics, engineering, biology, and social sciences, leading to profound insights into systems and communication processes in both machines and living organisms. Wiener’s concept of feedback loops and control mechanisms revolutionized our understanding of complex systems, emphasizing the importance of information flow and self-regulation. His seminal book, 'Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine,' published in 1948, not only laid the theoretical foundations for the study of automation and artificial intelligence but also raised critical discussions about the intersection of technology and society. Through his inventive thinking and interdisciplinary approach, Wiener not only transformed the landscape of science and technology but also prompted ethical reflections on the implications of machines that could learn and adapt, shaping the future relationship between humans and intelligent systems.
Norbert Wiener is most famous for founding which field?
A) Quantum Mechanics
B) Information Theory
C) Cybernetics
D) Computer Science
- 2. What was the title of Norbert Wiener's groundbreaking 1948 book?
A) Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine
B) The Computer and the Brain
C) The Human Use of Human Beings
D) God & Golem, Inc.
- 3. The term 'cybernetics' is derived from the Greek word for what?
A) Steersman
B) Brain
C) Machine
D) Calculation
- 4. What concept did Wiener introduce concerning automated systems and human employment?
A) Automation was impossible
B) Automation would create more jobs
C) Automation would lead to unemployment
D) Automation would only help factories
- 5. Wiener was a child prodigy who earned his Harvard PhD at what age?
A) 21
B) 16
C) 18
D) 25
- 6. What university was Wiener primarily associated with during his career?
A) MIT
B) Harvard
C) Stanford
D) Princeton
- 7. Wiener collaborated with which Mexican physiologist on cybernetics applications?
A) Bernardo Houssay
B) Santiago Ramón y Cajal
C) Severo Ochoa
D) Arturo Rosenblueth
- 8. What mathematical tool did Wiener develop for analyzing random signals?
A) Fourier transform
B) Wiener filter
C) Z-transform
D) Laplace transform
- 9. Wiener refused to work on military research after World War II due to concerns about what?
A) Weapons development
B) Academic freedom
C) Technical challenges
D) Funding limitations
- 10. Wiener's work influenced the development of what field of psychology?
A) Cognitive psychology
B) Behavioral psychology
C) Developmental psychology
D) Psychoanalysis
- 11. What concept describes how systems use information about their performance to adjust behavior?
A) Calibration
B) Optimization
C) Feedforward
D) Feedback
- 12. Wiener's concept of 'cybernetics' primarily deals with what?
A) Computer programming
B) Control and communication in systems
C) Mathematical proofs
D) Electronic circuits
- 13. Wiener's work helped establish the theoretical basis for what technology?
A) Nuclear power
B) Automation and robotics
C) Television
D) Jet engines
- 14. What did Wiener call the fundamental unit of information?
A) Bit
B) Byte
C) Nat
D) Qubit
- 15. What concept describes unpredictable influences on systems?
A) Chaos
B) Randomness
C) Entropy
D) Noise
- 16. Wiener's philosophical views were influenced by:
A) Existentialism
B) Rationalism
C) Pragmatism
D) Stoicism
- 17. The Wiener process is fundamental to:
A) Thermodynamics
B) Quantum mechanics
C) Financial mathematics
D) Relativity theory
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