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GCSE - Computing > 1. Fundamentals Of Computing > Flashcards

1. Fundamentals Of Computing Flashcards

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1
Q

How do computers affect our safety?

A
  • Planes
  • Traffic Lights
  • Signal Trains
  • Nuclear Power Plants
  • Hospitals - Monitoring, Alerts, Robot operations, Scanning
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2
Q

How do computers affect our communication?

A
  • Smart Phones
  • Email
  • Internet
  • GPS Systems
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3
Q

How do computers affect business?

A
  • Ordering
  • Manufacturing
  • Accounting
  • Payroll
  • Stock Control
  • Online Stores
  • Call Centres
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4
Q

How do computers affect entertainment?

A
  • DVD Players
  • Smart TV Sets
  • MP3 Players
  • Games Consoles
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5
Q

How do computers affect education?

A
  • VLE

* Internet Searches

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6
Q

How do computers affect government?

A
  • Getting and giving information
  • Paying Taxes
  • The government is moving online: Housing, Benefits, Bill Paying, Tax Info
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7
Q

How do computers affect science?

A
  • Working with larger data-sets
  • Calculations
  • Discovering patterns and proofs
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8
Q

What is a system?

A

A collection of parts that work together to achieve some goal.

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9
Q

What is a COMPUTER system?

A

A combination of hardware and software components that allow input, processing and output of data.

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10
Q

What are the 4 components of a computer system?

A

1) Input
2) Output
3) Processing
4) Storage

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11
Q

How does a computer receive an input?

A

Real-world action -> Analogue to digital conversion -> Binary data to computer

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12
Q

How does a computer send out an output?

A

Binary data from computer -> Digital to analogue conversion -> Real-world effect

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13
Q

How is reliability measured in a system?

A

Availability: The percentage of time a system is available for (e.g. 1hr of down-time per 100hrs gives 99% availability)
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): The average time between failures

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14
Q

What is a system boundary?

A

Where one system ends and perhaps another begins.

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15
Q

Can a system be made out of smaller systems?

A

Yes, a system can be made up from sub-systems

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16
Q

What is a “dedicated” system?

A

One which is used for a single purpose (e.g. Engine management in a car)

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17
Q

What is a “General Purpose” system?

A

One that is used for many things (e.g. A PC)

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18
Q

What is an “Embedded System”?

A

A system which is built into a device that it controls.

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19
Q

What is a “Micro Controller”?

A
  • Basically a computer on a chip
  • It has inputs, processing ability, some memory and can produce outputs
  • It is usually used in an embedded system
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20
Q

What are the four main standards?

A

1) Proprietary
2) Industry
3) De-Facto
4) Open

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21
Q

What is hardware?

A

The physical components that make up a computer system.

22
Q

What is software?

A

The programs that run on a computer system.

23
Q

What is an input device?

A

Hardware that accepts data into the computer.

Examples: keyboard, mouse, microphone, webcam

24
Q

What is an output device?

A

Hardware that presents the results of processing to the user or actuators that perform a task automatically.

Examples: monitors, printers, speakers, projectors, actuators (motors)

25
Q

What is a storage device?

A

Hardware that is used to store files long term and is not volatile.

Examples: hard disks, memory sticks, magnetic tapes, CDs

26
Q

Name some examples of how computers have become important in recent years.

A
  • Safety - Planes, Traffic Lights, Trains, Nuclear power stations, Hospitals
  • Communication - Phones, Email, Internet, GPS
  • Business - Ordering, Manufacture, Accounting, On-line stores
  • Entertainment - DVD players/recorders, Smart TV, MP3 players, Games consoles
  • Education - VLE, Internet
  • Government - Getting and giving information (e.g. Paying Tax)
  • Science - Scientists can work with larger data-sets, Calculations
27
Q

Define reliability.

A

How far you can depend on the computer system being available when you need it. Usually measured in availability.

28
Q

Define availability.

A

The proportion of time that a system is operational, usually expressed as a percentage over a period of time.

29
Q

What is a proprietary standard?

A
  • Standards set and owned by a single company that adheres to them
  • Others can’t amend or add to them
30
Q

What is an industry standard?

A
  • Set out and owned by industry bodies

* Followed by all who make hardware or software to be used in a given way

31
Q

What is a de-facto standard?

A
  • Not written down or enforced

* Standard because they are popular

32
Q

What is an open standard?

A
  • Published and not copyrighted
  • Anyone can use and add to them
  • Could be interfaces or formats that have been accepted by de-facto or formal processes
33
Q

Give an example of a proprietary standard.

A

Windows has proprietary standards.

34
Q

Give an example of an industry standard.

A
  • The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers publish standards for electronic equipment.
  • The Universal Serial Bus (USB)
35
Q

Give an example of an open standard.

A

• HTML

36
Q

What is MTBF?

A

Mean Time Between Failures - A measure of reliability. It is the average time between a failure of that system.

37
Q

Define redundancy.

A

Spare hardware components are built into a system so that, in the event of a component failing, the system can swap over to the spare one.

38
Q

Define disaster recovery.

A

Where a company has plans to replace a system quickly if there is a catastrophe. Designed to minimise the time the system is down for.

39
Q

What is the Waterfall Model?

A
  • A model which defines the specific steps in the development of a computer system.
  • Each step has outputs which lead on into the next step.
  • You can return to a previous stage but then you have to work back down through the following stages.
40
Q

What is Rapid Application Development (RAD)?

A
  • A model for system development where the client is much more involved.
  • It starts with a prototype that is developed gradually into a full solution with customer feedback at each stage.
41
Q

Name some de facto standards in coding?

A
  • Use of code comments
  • Indents in code (to indicate loops, etc.)
  • Meaningful identifiers (using “total” instead of “x”)
42
Q

What is intellectual property?

A

Intangible property that is the result of creativity, such as patents, copyrights, etc.

43
Q

Which organisation attempts to enforce copyright laws and protect programmers’ rights?

A

Federation Against Software Theft (FAST)

44
Q

What are some laws which developers must abide by when developing a system?

A
  • Data Protection Act
  • Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
  • Health and Safety at Work Act
45
Q

What is the Data Protection Act?

A

An act that states:

• Anyone who stores personal details must keep them safe

46
Q

What is the Health and Safety at Work Act?

A

An act that states:

• Employers are responsible for their staff

47
Q

What is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act?

A

An act that states:
• It is illegal to use software without buying the appropriate license
• It is illegal to copy and pass off work as your own when it belongs to someone else

48
Q

What is the Computer Misuse Act?

A

An act to protect the integrity of computer systems by deterring hackers. It created 3 new offences:
• Unauthorised access to computer programs or data
• Unauthorised access with a further criminal intent
• Unauthorised modification of computer material

49
Q

What is hacking?

A

Accessing a computer either physically or remotely without the user’s permission.

50
Q

What are ethical considerations when developing computer systems?

A

They are all about fairness. They may include where call centres are located and where programming work is done.

51
Q

What ray environmental considerations when developing computer systems?

A

The environmental impact caused by the manufacturing of computer systems, etc.

GCSE - Computing (7 decks)

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