1.1.3 Input, Output and Storage

Question 1

Name three input devices

Answer 1

Any from:
Mouse, graphics tablet, touchpad, touchscreen, joystick, controller, keyboard, keypad, buttons, microphone, camera, webcam, barcode reader, scanner

Question 2

Name three input devices to help people with disabilities

Answer 2

Any from:
Foot mouse, foot pedal, camera (eye tracker), microphone (voice controls), puff/suck switch

Question 3

Name three output devices

Answer 3

Any from:
Monitor, screen, LEDs, Speaker, Headphones, Printer, Motor, Projector

Question 4

Name three common sensors:

Answer 4

Any from:
Thermisor (temperature), ultrasonic (distance), gyroscope, accelerometer, moisture, light, GPS

Question 5

What is an input device?

Answer 5

A device that allows data to be entered into the computer

Question 6

What is an output device?

Answer 6

A device that reports the result of processing to the user

Question 7

Give one example of a combined input and output device

Answer 7

Any from:
Touchscreen, headset

Question 8

What are the four main types of storage?

Answer 8

Optical, magnetic, flash/solid state, cloud/virtual

Question 9

How does optical storage work?

Answer 9

Data is stored using pits and lands which are read/written onto a reflective surface with a laser. The angle that the light is reflected at determines if a zero or one is stored.

Question 10

What is one example of optical storage?

Answer 10

Any from:
CDROM, DVDROM (Read only), CDR, DVDR, Blu-Ray-R (Read/Write)

Question 11

What are the advantages of optical storage?

Answer 11

Physically small, light, and has no moving parts so easy/cheap to transport by post.
Low cost per GB.
Doesn’t require an internet connection

Question 12

What are the disadvantages of optical storage?

Answer 12

Requires the user to have a disk drive.
Can get scratched.
Hard to find for larger capacities. (Max ~17GB for CD/DVD and ~50GB for Blu-Ray)

Question 13

How does magnetic storage work?

Answer 13

Magnetic patterns are read off disks/platters that spin at high speeds. The direction of the magnetic field indicates whether a zero or a one is stored.

Question 14

What is one example of magnetic storage?

Answer 14

Any from:
Internal HDD, external HDD, Magnetic tape

Question 15

What are the advantages of magnetic storage?

Answer 15

Low cost per GB
Easy to find in high capacity
Long lifespan
Doesn’t require an internet connection

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of magnetic storage?

Answer 16

Sensitive to magnets
Slow read/write times
Can be damaged by sudden movement
Moving parts that are noisy an consume a lot of power

Question 17

How does Solid State / Flash storage work?

Answer 17

NAND or DRAM memory chips have their contents erased and overwritten when an electrical charge is applied, forcing electrons through a gate. The presence of charge in the gate represents a one, and the absesnce of charge a zero.

Question 18

What are the advantages of Solid State / Flash storage?

Answer 18

Generally small, light, and has no moving parts so easy/cheap to transport by post.
Fast data read/write times
Doesn’t require an internet connection
Doesn’t create any noise

Question 19

What is one example of Solid State / Flash storage?

Answer 19

Any from:
Internal SSD, external SSD, Memory stick, SD card

Question 20

What are the disadvantages of Flash / Solid State storage?

Answer 20

High cost per GB
Limited number of read/write operations so a shorter lifespan

Question 21

How does cloud / virtual storage work?

Answer 21

Data is stored on a remote device accessible through the internet, normally owned by a thrid party

Question 22

What are the advantages of Cloud / Virtual storage?

Answer 22

Data can be accessed from any device with an internet connection
Storage does not take up physical space and is easy to expand by updrading subscription
Most cloud services automatically handle backups, data security, and other services
No risk of losing a physical storage device

Question 23

What are the disadvantages of Cloud / Virtual storage?

Answer 23

Data cannot be accessed without an internet connection
If the company goes out of buisness you could lose your data
You are reliant on a third party for data secuirty, and might have to send sensitive data over the internet
Accessing data is much slower than local physical storage

Question 24

What are the two main types of memory?

Answer 24

RAM, ROM

Question 25

What does RAM stand for?

Answer 25

Random Access Memory

Question 26

What does ROM stand for?

Answer 26

Read Only Memory

Question 27

What are the characteristics of RAM?

Answer 27

Can read and write data
Volatile - Will lose all data when the computer is turned off
Stores the programs and data currently in use
Larger than ROM and cache but smaller than storage
Faster than ROM and storage but slower than cache

Question 28

What are the characteristics of ROM?

Answer 28

Read only
Non volatile - No data will be lost when the computer is turned off
Stores the BIOS and boot program
Smaller than RAM and storage
Very quick to start up when the computer is first turned on