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GCSE OCR COMPUTER SCIENCE P1 > 1.1/1.2 > Flashcards

1.1/1.2 Flashcards

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1
Q

what is a computer?

A

an electronic device which takes input, processes data and delivers output

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2
Q

what is the purpose of the cpu?

A

To fetch, decode and execute instructions

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3
Q

what happens at the ‘fetch’ stage in the fetch-execute cycle?

A

fetches the next instruction from the main memory (RAM). Brings the instruction back into the cpu.

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4
Q

what happens at the ‘decode’ stage in the fetch-execute cycle?

A

inspects the instruction and works out what it is that needs doing.

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5
Q

what happens at the ‘execute’ stage in the fetch-execute cycle?

A

carries out the instruction (e.g going back to main memory and grabbing some data,performing a calculation , storing info back into main memory)

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6
Q

what are the common cpu components

A

arithmetic logic unit (ALU) , control unit (CU) , cache , registers

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7
Q

what is the purpose of the ALU?

A

performs calculations and logical decisions

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8
Q

what is the purpose of the CU?

A

sends signals to control how data moves around the CPU

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9
Q

what is the purpose of the cache?

A

provides fast access to frequently used instructions and data

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10
Q

what is the purpose of registers?

A

tiny,super fast pieces of onboard memory inside the CPU each with a very specific purpose

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11
Q

what does the Von Neuman architecture consists of?

A

control unit (cu) , arithmetic logic unit (alu) , memory unit (typically ram) , inputs and outputs.

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12
Q

what are the names of registers in the Von Neuman architecture?

A

program counter (pc) , memory address register (mar) , memory data register (mdr) , accumulator

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13
Q

what is the purpose of the program counter?(register)

A

holds the address of the next instruction in memory

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14
Q

what is the purpose of the memory address register?(register)

A

holds the address of where data is to be fetched or stored

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15
Q

what is the purpose of the memory data register?(register)

A

holds the data fetched from or to be written to memory

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16
Q

what is the purpose of the accumulator?

A

holds the result of calculations

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17
Q

what factors affect cpu’s performance?

A

Clock speed, Cache size, Number of cores

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18
Q

how does ‘clock speed’ affect the cpu’s performance?

A

the more pulses per second the more fetch-decode-execute cycles.

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19
Q

how does ‘cache size’ affect the cpu’s performance?

A

the bigger the cache the less time a processor has to wait for instructions to be fetched.

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20
Q

how does the ‘number of cores’ affect the cpu’s performance?

A

(each core is capable of fetching, decoding and executing its own instruction) More cores a cpu has the greater the number of instructions it can process in a given space of time.

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21
Q

what is a cpu called with 2 cores?

A

dual core

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22
Q

what is a cpu called with 4 cores?

A

quad core

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23
Q

how could dual core affect performance?

A

a program is split into two or more parts and each part is processed at the same time) In theory this would double performance on a dual core cpu as each part is processed independently. ​(however, you do not always get twice the performance because many programs cannot be split neatly into two independent parts​).

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24
Q

What is an embedded system?

A

a computer system that is built into another device

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25
Q

what are the characteristics of an embedded system?

A

low power consumption , small size , rugged operating ranges , low cost per unit .

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26
Q

what are examples of an embedded system?

A

traffic lights,
factory equipment
hospital equipment

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27
Q

why do computers need primary storage?

A

holds the data and instructions which the CPU needs access to while a computer is running ,

the CPU = quickly access data fronts primary storage

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28
Q

what does the primary storage consist of?

A

random access memory (RAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , registers and cache

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29
Q

what is the purpose of RAM?

A

holds the operating system, programs and data in use by the CPU when the computer is running.

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30
Q

what is the purpose of ROM?

A

holds the first instruction for when the computer is first turned on (known as bootstrap)

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31
Q

what are the characteristics of RAM?

A

volatile (contents lost when the power is turned off)
read and write
large

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32
Q

what are the characteristics of ROM?

A

non-volatile (contents remain when power is turned off)
read only
small in comparison to RAM

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33
Q

why might virtual memory be needed in a system?

A

virtual memory is needed when there is not physical RAM to store the open programs (virtual memory is held on the hard disk)

34
Q

how does virtual memory work?

A

programs are transferred out to virtual memory from the RAM when they are not currently being executed .

programs are transferred back to RAM from virtual memory when they are needed.

35
Q

why do computers need secondary storage?

A

to keep programs and data indefinitely.

36
Q

what is secondary storage needed for?

A

-Storage of programs and data when the power is turned off.
-Semi-permanent storage of data that can change
-Backup of data files
-Archive data files

37
Q

what are the common types of storage?

A

optical (CD-R/RW , DVD-R/RW , Blu-ray)
Magnetic ( Hard disk drive , tape)
Solid - state (SSD , Memory sticks , Flash memory , memory cards)

38
Q

what are the features of optical storage?

A

low capacity , compared to other types of storage
slow to access data
thin , lightweight and portable

39
Q

what are the features of magnetic storage?

A

high storage capacity
quick to access data
has moving parts which eventually fail
hard disks perform better if they are defragmented

40
Q

what are the features of solid state storage?

A

medium storage capacity
very quick to access data
no moving parts , very reliable
no noise
low power
no need to de-fragment
limited number of read/write cycles
expensive compared to others

41
Q

what is optical storage suitable for?

A

Read only data distribution on a large scale and small capacity situations

42
Q

what is magnetic storage suitable for?

A

when high data capacity is required , fast access to data , low cost situations and cloud storage on server forms

43
Q

what is solid state storage suitable for?

A

low power , small embedded system
rugged applications :portable devices
small to medium data capacity requirements
silent operation
very fast access to data
situations where the devices need to be small and lightweight

44
Q

what are the advantages/disadvantages of optical storage?

A

advantages - cheap , lightweight , portable
disadvantages - slow access times , prone to scratches

45
Q

what are the advantages /disadvantages of magnetic storage?

A

advantages - cheap , large capacity
disadvantages - slow access times , fragile

46
Q

what are the advantages/disadvantages of solid state storage?

A

advantages - durable , fast access times
disadvantages - cost , limited read/writes

47
Q

why does data have to be stored in binary form?

A

All data that we want a computer to process needs to be converted into this binary format.

48
Q

What is a bit?

A

A binary digit, a 0 or a 1.

49
Q

what is a nibble?

A

4 bits

50
Q

what is a byte?

A

8 bits

51
Q

what is a kilobyte?

A

1000 bytes or 1KB

52
Q

What is a megabyte?

A

1000 kilobytes

53
Q

what is a gigabyte

A

1000 megabytes

54
Q

what is a terabyte?

A

1000 gigabytes

55
Q

What is a petabyte?

A

1000 terabytes

56
Q

what is a character set?

A

A defined list of characters recognised by the computer.

57
Q

how is a character set represented?

A

by a unique binary number

58
Q

what are the well known character sets

A

ascii
extended ascii
unicode

59
Q

What is ASCII?

A

7 bit code that can hold 128 characters

60
Q

What is extended ASCII?

A

8 bit code that can hold 256 characters

61
Q

What is Unicode?

A

16 bit code that can hold 65,536 characters

62
Q

how can images be stored?

A

in binary as bitmaps or vectors

63
Q

What is encoding?

A

process of converting data into a binary code so that a computer can process it.

64
Q

what is a bitmap image?

A

an image made of pixels

65
Q

what is a vector image?

A

An image made with mathematical formulas

66
Q

How is each pixel stored?

A

in binary

67
Q

how many possible values does 1 bit have?

A

2 possible values: 0 and 1 , therefore 1 bit can store 2 colours: black and white

68
Q

how many possible values does 2 bit have?

A

4 possible values: 00,01,10,11 , therefore 2 bit can store 4 colours

69
Q

how do you calculate number of colours?

A

2n (2 to the power of n ( where n is the number of bits per pixel))

70
Q

what is colour depth?

A

Number of bits per pixel

71
Q

what is metadata?

A

Additional data stored with the image to define the width, height, bit depth and colour palette

72
Q

how can resolution and colour depth effect file size?

A

the greater the resolution and colour depth the larger file size.

73
Q

how many bits does a photograph have?

A

photograph is stored in 24bit colour depth , each pixel is 24 bits , this is 2 to the power of 24 = over 16 million colours

74
Q

why is analogue sound converted to digital?

A

so it can be stored in binary

75
Q

what is sound file size?

A

total number of bits in a sound

76
Q

how do you calculate sound file size?

A

(number of samples per sec) x (number of bits per sec) x (length of sample in secs)

77
Q

What is bit depth in sound?

A

number of bits stored per sample

78
Q

how can bit depth affect sound?

A

the higher the number of bits the greater the quality of the sound and the larger the file size

79
Q

what is sample rate?

A

the number of samples stored in per second

80
Q

how can sample rate affect sound?

A

the higher the number of samples per sec , the higher the quality of the sound and the larger the file size

GCSE OCR COMPUTER SCIENCE P1 (3 decks)

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