3. Computer Hardware and History

Question 1

First-generation computers used _____ for circuitry and _____ for memory.

Answer 1

vacuum tubes, magnetic drums

Question 2

The first generation of computers relied on what type of languages to operate?

Answer 2

Machine languages

Question 3

The first generation of computers relied on ____ for input and produced ____ output.

Answer 3

Punch cards, printed

Question 4

What replaced vacuum tubes in the second generation of computers?

Answer 4

Transistors

Question 5

Second-generation computers relied on ____ for input and produced ____ output.

Answer 5

Punch cards, printed

Question 6

What languages were developed to program second-generation computers?

Answer 6

Higher-level languages like early FORTRAN and COBOL

Question 7

In second-generation computers, machine languages representing instructions in binary (0s and 1s) were replaced by ____ languages that specified instructions using ____.

Answer 7

assembly, words

Question 8

The technological development that ushered in the third generation of computers was the invention of ____.

Answer 8

integrated circuits

Question 9

In the third generation of computers, integrated circuits miniaturized ____ and placed them on silicon chips called ____.

Answer 9

semiconductors

Question 10

Third-generation computers used ____ and ____ to communicate with other components of the system.

Answer 10

keyboards, monitors

Question 11

What made it possible for third-generation computers to run multiple programs at once and share memory and other resources?

Answer 11

Operating systems

Question 12

What innovation made the fourth generation of computers possible?

Answer 12

Microprocessors, which include thousands of integrated circuits on a single silicon chip.

Question 13

What other innovations accompanied the fourth generation of computing besides microprocessors?

Answer 13

Graphical user interfaces, the mouse, and handheld devices.

Question 14

What innovation marked the beginning of the fifth generation of computing?

Answer 14

Artificial intelligence

Question 15

Fifth-generation computers are based on ____ processing and ____ software.

Answer 15

parallel, AI

Question 16

_____ computing is said to be more efficient than modern computing because of its use of _____.

Answer 16

Quantum, quantum tunneling

Question 17

_____ computing is said to be more efficient than modern computing because of its use of _____.

Answer 17

Quantum, quantum tunneling

Question 18

____ and ____ manufacturing involves the use of ____ (extremely small) tools and ____ processes to build structures, devices, and systems at the molecular level.

Answer 18

Nanotechnology, molecular, nanoscale, nonbiological

Question 19

What hardware component is responsible for processing all information from programs run by a computer?

Answer 19

CPU

Question 20

The speed at which the processor processes information is measured in ____.

Answer 20

gigahertz (GHz)

Question 21

What hardware component temporarily stores information created by programs and does so in a way that makes this data immediately accessible?

Answer 21

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Question 22

The ____ is a storage device responsible for storing permanent and temporary data.

Answer 22

hard drive

Question 23

What are the two types of storage devices?

Answer 23

HDD: Hard Disk Drive, writes binary data on spinning magnetic disks called platters

SSD: Solid State Drive, stores data by using static flash memory chips

Question 24

This hardware component processes huge amounts of graphical data. They focus almost exclusively on graphics rendering but can also extend the CPU.

Answer 24

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

Question 25

This is a printed circuit board that can add functionality to a computer system via the bus that bears its name.

Answer 25

Expansion card. (The bus is called the expansion bus.)

Question 26

The ____ bus is a computer bus that moves information between the internal hardware of a computer system (including the CPU and RAM) and peripheral devices.

Answer 26

expansion

Question 27

Generally, computer hardware contains what three major components?

Answer 27

1. CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2. Storage 3. Peripheral devices

Question 28

Another name for the IPOS model of computing systems is the _____ architecture of a computer system.

Answer 28

Von Neumann

Question 29

What are the three parts of the CPU, and what do they do?

Answer 29

1. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): contains circuitry that performs operations on data (such as addition and subtraction). 2. Control unit: contains the circuitry coordinating the machine’s activities. 3. Processor register: contains data storage cells called registers

Question 30

____ hold the inputs to the ALU and store the results.

Answer 30

Registers

Question 31

What four activities does the control unit perform?

Answer 31

1. Transfers the data from the main memory into the registers. 2. Informs the ALU which registers hold the data. 3. Activates the ALU. 4. Tells the ALU which register should receive the result.

Question 32

What does the Memory Address Register (MAR) do?

Answer 32

It holds the memory location of data that needs to be accessed.

Question 33

What does the Memory Data Register (MDR) do?

Answer 33

It holds data that is being transferred to or from memory.

Question 34

What does the Accumulator (AC) do?

Answer 34

It holds the ALU results.

Question 35

What does the Program Counter (PC) do?

Answer 35

It holds the address of the next program instruction to be executed.

Question 36

What does the Current Instruction Register do?

Answer 36

It holds the current instruction during processing.

Question 37

RAM is split into ____. Each of these consists of a(n) ____ and its ____, all in ____ form.

Answer 37

partitions, address, contents, binary

Question 38

Read-only memory (ROM) stores instructions for what kind of system activities?

Answer 38

Crucial system activities like booting up the system and initializing different computer components.

Question 39

Various units that support the input and output functions of a computer are called ____.

Answer 39

peripheral devices

Question 40

What computer components are the wires that transmit information between the CPU and other components?

Answer 40

Buses or bus lines

Question 41

What are the three different types of buses?

Answer 41

1. Address buses 2. Data buses 3. Control buses

Question 42

The ____ bus carries the destination address of where the data is assigned to be processed.

Answer 42

address

Question 43

The ____ bus carries data between the processor, the memory unit, and the input/output devices.

Answer 43

data

Question 44

The ____ bus carries control signals (commands) from the CPU (and status signals from devices); controls and coordinates all activities within the computer system.

Answer 44

control

Question 45

What are two other names for the system unit?

Answer 45

1. Tower 2. Chassis

Question 46

The motherboard is the main ____ for the computer containing both ____ components that cannot be removed and ____ or ____ for components that can be removed.

Answer 46

circuit board, soldered, sockets, slots

Question 47

The ____ sends out a pulse of electricity at regular intervals and makes it possible for the electronic components of the computer to operate.

Answer 47

system clock

Question 48

How many instructions get processed per pulse of the system clock?

Answer 48

One

Question 49

One ____ is equivalent to a million pulses per second.

Answer 49

megahertz (MHz)

Question 50

One ____ is equivalent to one billion pulses per second.

Answer 50

gigahertz (GHz)

Question 51

What are three examples of types of expansion cards?

Answer 51

graphics cards, sound cards, and network cards

Question 52

What are ports? What are three examples of ports?

Answer 52

Ports are sockets that allow cables to be plugged in without opening the system unit. Some examples are serial, parallel, and Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, which are recognizable by their distinct shapes.

Question 53

RAM is also known as ____ storage, while devices such as HDDs, SSDs, and flash drives are known as ____ storage.

Answer 53

primary, secondary

Question 54

A ____ is the smallest unit of storage. Eight of them equals one ____, which is enough information to store a single character.

Answer 54

bit, byte

Question 55

How many bytes are actually in a kilobyte?

Answer 55

1,024 (2^10) bytes

Question 56

What are the most common output devices?

Answer 56

Monitors and printers

Question 57

____ are the biggest and fastest computers, designed to process huge amounts of data. They are built as a system of thousands of interconnected processors and are particularly useful in scientific and engineering applications such as weather forecasting, scientific simulations, and nuclear energy research.

Answer 57

Supercomputers

Question 58

____ computers are designed to support hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously. They also support multiple programs at the same time, making them useful to big organizations that manage and process high volumes of data.

Answer 58

Mainframe

Question 59

A ____ is a single-user computer designed for technical or scientific applications. It has a faster microprocessor, a large amount of RAM, and high-speed graphics cards. It generally performs a specific job with great expertise. Graphics, music, and engineering design departments often use this type of system.

Answer 59

workstation

Question 60

A ____ is more commonly known as a personal computer. It is a general-purpose computer for individual use.

Answer 60

microcomputer