Summary
A Navy officer and computer pioneer, Grace Hopper helped invent ways to write computer programs in words instead of numbers — and even popularized the word 'bug' for a computer glitch.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
A Navy officer and computer pioneer, Grace Hopper helped invent ways to write computer programs in words instead of numbers — and even popularized the word 'bug' for a computer glitch.
- What did early computers need before Grace Hopper's ideas?
- Why is it helpful to give computer instructions in words we understand?
- Where do you think the word computer 'bug' came from?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: program, code, pioneer.
Try it: Write step-by-step 'code' in plain words telling a friend exactly how to make a jam sandwich.