The question asks to identify the computer constructed at Cambridge University in the year 1946.

EDSAC: Cambridge University's 1946 Computer

The correct answer is the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC). EDSAC was a groundbreaking early British computer developed at the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory. While its completion and first working program occurred in May 1949, the foundational work and development efforts began earlier, placing its conceptualization and initial construction phase around the mid-1940s, including 1946.

EDSAC was inspired by the stored-program concepts developed by John von Neumann. It was one of the world's first practical stored-program electronic computers.

Analyzing Other Computer Options

Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:

• IBM 701: This was IBM's first commercial scientific computer, introduced in 1952 and delivered starting in 1953. It was developed by IBM, not Cambridge University.
• PDP-8: The PDP-8 was developed by the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and introduced in 1965. It's a much later minicomputer and was not built at Cambridge University.
• Universal Automatic Calculator (UNIVAC I): UNIVAC I was designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly (who also developed the ENIAC). It was the first American commercial computer, delivered in 1951. It was not developed at Cambridge University.

Key Features of EDSAC

• Location: University of Cambridge, UK.
• Timeframe: Development started mid-1940s, operational in 1949.
• Significance: One of the earliest stored-program computers, heavily influenced subsequent computer designs.
• Technology: Used mercury delay lines for memory.

Therefore, the computer built at Cambridge University in 1946, considering the development period, was EDSAC.