Question 1

True or false: Dijkstra invented the algorithm for finding the shortest path in a graph called Dijkstra's algorithm.

Accepted Answer

True. True. Edsger Dijkstra conceived the shortest path algorithm in 1956 and published it in 1959; it is widely known as Dijkstra's algorithm.

Question 2

True or false: Dijkstra won the Nobel Prize in Computer Science in 1972.

Accepted Answer

False. False. Dijkstra won the Turing Award in 1972, often called the 'Nobel Prize of Computing,' but there is no actual Nobel Prize in Computer Science.

Question 3

True or false: Dijkstra was a strong advocate of structured programming and criticized the use of the GOTO statement.

Accepted Answer

True. True. His 1968 letter 'Go To Statement Considered Harmful' famously argued against GOTO, influencing the structured programming movement.

Question 4

True or false: Dijkstra was the first person to ever write a computer program in the C programming language.

Accepted Answer

False. False. C was created by Dennis Ritchie in the 1970s, long after Dijkstra's early work. Dijkstra primarily used ALGOL and later designed his own languages.

Question 5

True or false: Dijkstra was known for writing his manuscripts by hand and never using a typewriter or computer.

Accepted Answer

True. True. He famously wrote his EWD manuscripts and papers by hand with a fountain pen, numbering over 1300 documents, avoiding typewriters and computers for his writing.

Question 6

True or false: Dijkstra originally studied physics and only later switched to computer science.

Accepted Answer

True. True. He studied theoretical physics at the University of Leiden, but his programming experience led him to become a pioneer in computer science.

Question 7

True or false: Edsger Dijkstra was awarded the Turing Award in 1972.

Accepted Answer

True. He won the ACM Turing Award in 1972 for his contributions to programming languages and software design, including the concept of structured programming.

Question 8

True or false: Dijkstra once claimed that the word 'computer' should be banned because it anthropomorphizes machines.

Accepted Answer

True. In a 1984 interview, Dijkstra said: 'I think the word computer should be banned... it is a horrible word... an anthropomorphism.' This aligns with his criticism of anthropomorphic terminology in computing.

Edsger Dijkstra Trivia Questions