The correct answer is: C. EDVAC
The EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) was the first computer to store a program in its memory. It was developed at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, the same team that developed the ENIAC. The EDVAC was completed in 1949, two years after the ENIAC.
The ENIAC was a “hardwired” computer, meaning that its program was fixed in its wiring. The EDVAC, on the other hand, used a stored program, which meant that its program could be stored in its memory and changed as needed. This made the EDVAC much more versatile than the ENIAC.
The EDVAC was a major breakthrough in computer technology. It was the first computer to use a stored program, and it paved the way for the development of modern computers.
The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:
- EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer) was a British computer developed at the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory. It was completed in 1949, one year after the EDVAC. The EDSAC was also a stored-program computer, but it was not the first.
- ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was an American computer developed at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering. It was completed in 1946, and it was the first general-purpose electronic computer. However, the ENIAC was a hardwired computer, meaning that its program was fixed in its wiring.
- ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) was a British computer designed by Alan Turing. It was never built, but it was an important theoretical work in the development of computer architecture.
- None of the above.