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90 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the hardware within a computer system or smartphone which carries out the instructions of a computer program ? |
The CPU |
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What does CPU stand for? |
Central processing unit |
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When talking about a CPU what does ALU stand for? |
Arithmetic logic unit |
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What are the 3 main components of a CPU |
Control unit, Memory unit and ALU |
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When talking about a CPU what is the function of the ALU? |
performs arithmetic and logical operations |
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When talking about a CPU what is the function of the control unit? |
extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them |
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Complete the cycle of the CPU – Fetch….. |
Fetch, decode, execute |
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Where does the CPU fetch instructions from |
Main memory (RAM) |
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When talking about a computer system what is memory? 5 |
A temporary storage |
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What 3 things might you find stored in Memory? |
Instructions, Commands and the operating system |
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What does RAM stand for? |
Random Access Memory |
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What does ROM stand for? |
Read Only Memory |
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What is stored in ROM? |
The boot files for the computer |
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Name 2 differences between RAM and ROM? |
Ram is Volatile, ROM is non Volatile, contents of RAM change frequently, contents of ROM never change |
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What is the type of memory used in the main memory ? |
RAM |
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When referring to computer memory what is meant by Random Access? |
You can write anywhere in that memory space at any time |
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When discussing memory what is meant by volatile? |
It requires power and loses its content if there is no power |
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Is RAM volatile or non-volatile? |
Volatile |
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What is virtual memory? |
A part of the hard drive used as memory when memory has become full |
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When would you need to use virtual memory? |
If memory is full. When you want to open a program that doesn't fit in remaining memory space. |
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What does 3MGz mean? |
It is the clockspeed of the computer, it can complete 3 million cycles per second |
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How does cache size affect the performance of a computer? |
The larger the size of the cache, the more instructions can fit in it, the quicker the CPU can process the instructions |
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A computer has a quad core processor, what does this mean? |
The computer has 4 separate cores, each capable of running cycles, so more cycles can be run simultaneously ge frequently, contents of ROM never change |
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NOT (1) = |
0 |
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1 AND (NOT 1) = |
0 |
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1 OR ( 1 AND (NOT 0)) = |
1 |
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What is a bit? |
A single 1 or 0 |
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What is a byte? |
8 bits |
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How many bytes are in a kilobyte? |
1024 |
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How many kilobytes in a megabyte? |
1024 |
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How does having more RAM improve the performance of a computer? |
It can load more programs and data at the same time |
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Name the type of secondary storage that is built into a computer system T!D |
Hard disk drive, magnetic hard disk r> T!D |
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Is a hard disk drive volatile or non volatile? n |
Non-volatile tr> |
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Finish the sequence bytes, kilobytes…… |
Megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, petabyte, |
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What is optical storage? |
CDs, DVDs |
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What does DVD stand for? |
Digital video disc |
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Who might use Flash Memory and why? |
Anyone who needs to transfer data from one place to another |
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What type of memory does a USB stick use? |
Flash memory or Solid State memory |
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Flash memory is also known as what? |
Solid state memory |
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What does the SD stand for in SD card W |
Secure digital |
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What type of memory is used in smartphones and tablets? |
Flash memory |
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What does the RW stand for in DVD-RW? |
Re-writable |
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What is the difference between a DVD-R and a DVD-RW |
DVD-R can only be written to once |
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What is a solid state drive? |
A form of flash memory, portable storage that does not use magnetic tape like a HDD ml> |
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What is cloud storage? |
Online storage |
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What is 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of cloud storage |
Cheap; automatically backed up; secure, extendable, Relies on internet access, requires password access; speed depends upon the internet connection speed |
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What is an input device? |
A device used to get data into the computer system |
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What is an output device? |
A device that displays or communicates the processed data |
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Do input devices deal with analogue or digital data? |
Analogue |
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Name a type of input device that could be used by someone who is blind |
Braille keyboard, microphone (voice recognition) |
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What input devices would a central heating system use? |
Temp sensor (thermometer), timer, dial, keypad |
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What am I: I am used to control wheelchairs and to remotely control lights, security cameras and robots. I am used in home entertainment systems like the XBOX and PS3. |
Joystick – games controller |
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What type of device is a digital camera? |
Input device |
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Name 2 features of a hard drive |
Large capacity, fairly cheap, magnetic storage, not portable |
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Name 2 features of a CD-ROM |
Small and portable, can be used on most devices, Read only so cannot be copied over, small capacity PS3. |
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Name 2 features of a solid state drive |
Very portable, good for carrying work. |
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Give an example of magnetic storage > |
Hard drive, magnetic tape |
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State 2 functions of an operating system |
Provide a user interface. Provide a platform for applications to run. Perform memory management, perform file/disk management |
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Name 2 different operating systems |
Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Ubuntu |
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Explain multi-tasking |
Allows more than 1 process to run at the same time in order to maximize computer resources. |
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Name 2 utility programs and their uses |
System cleanup - (Searches for and) deletes files/programs which are no longer used Automatic update - Checks on the (software manufacturer's site on the) Internet for newer versions of programs which are installed Disk defrag - cleanup the hard drive, move files, Anti Virus |
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Why would a company need custom written software? |
IF software does not exist to do the job the company wants. If the software that does exist doesn't do exactly what they need |
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What do we mean by Off the Shelf software? |
Software that is available in shops |
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Give an example of off the shelf software |
Excel, Access, Word etc |
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State two features of open source software |
Is free to use, lots of people contribute to it, doesn't need a license |
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What is a pixel? |
The smallest element of an image – dots that make up an image on a screen |
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How many bits does ASCII use? |
7 or 8 bits (either is right) |
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How many bits does Unicode use? |
16 or 32 bits (either is right) |
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What do we call the list of characters a computer can represent |
Character set |
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Give an example of metadata stored with an image |
Height, Width, Resolution, Colour depth, date it was produced |
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What do we call the smallest part of an image |
A pixel |
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What is a method of describing a program using proper English rather than a programming language |
Pseudocode |
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What is the connection between sample rate, quality of sound and file size? |
The higher the sample rate, the better quality of file, the larger the file size |
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What two parts is an instruction split into? |
The operator (instruction part) and the operand (the data part) |
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What is software? -> |
Programs that run on the computer |
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Why do we use compression when sending files over the Internet ? |
Reduce transmission times, save storage space |
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What type of software is needed for a computer to communicate with a device such as a printer |
Device driver – driver software |
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Assembly language is also known as… |
A low level language |
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In what language do mnemonics make an appearance? |
Assembly language |
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What language do machines understand? |
Binary/Machine language |
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State two features of an IDE |
Source code editor/error diagnostics and debugger/run-time environment/translator |
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A sequence is when… |
Instructions are executed one after the other |
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Selection is when… |
The path through the program is decided by looking at a condition (IF statement) |
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Iteration is when… |
The programs repeats commands until a critieria has been met (Loop) |
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What is the difference between a FOR loop and a WHILE loop |
With a FOR loop we know how many times the loop will run before the code is run, with a WHILE loop the user can choose to stop the loop or keep repeating |
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What is the difference between a variable and a constant? |
A variables value can change in the program, a constant cannot change |
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Define an Array |
A set of variables with the same name (identifier) |
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What is a variable? |
An identifier that points to a place in memory |
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What is a syntax error |
A mistake which breaks the grammar of the programming language |
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What is a logic error |
The program will run, however it does not give you the result you expected |
