Basic Concepts of hardware

Question 1

What does the CPU plug into

Answer 1

ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) Socket

Question 2

Who usually makes CPUs for smartphones

Answer 2

ARM, Qualcomm, Apple

Question 3

What is the speed of a processor measured in

Answer 3

Gigahertz

Question 4

What does RAM stand for

Answer 4

Random Access Memory

Question 5

6 Characteristics of RAM

Answer 5

Volatile (Loses contents when it has no power)
Where the CPU keeps all data and instructions
Data transfer between RAM and CPU is fast
The more RAM you have, the better it performs
RAM is supplied in DIMMS (Dual Inline Memory Modules)
RAM is expensive

Question 6

Three points about HDD’s (Magnetic Storage)

Answer 6

Mechanical and therefore slow
Large capacities at lower cost per GB
Delicate and can be damaged if they are moved while working

Question 7

5 Points about CDs, DVDs and Blue-Rays (Optical Storage)

Answer 7

Slower than HDDs
Limited in storage - 700MB for a CD, 4.7-9GB for DVD and 50GB for Blue-Ray
You can buy writeable discs and write data onto it yourself
You can buy them pre-made with programs/data already on them
They are being replaced by flash drives and portable hard drives

Question 8

Points about Solid State Drives (SSDs)

Answer 8

Slower than RAM but much faster than Magnetic and optical drives
More expensive and have smaller capacity than magnetic drives

Question 9

What connections does a computer need to have (4)

Answer 9

A USB port (Normally 4 or 5)
A way to connect to a cabled network
Sockets for headphones/speakers/microphones
A port to connect to a monitor

Question 10

List 8 input devices

Answer 10

Keyboard
Pointing Device
Microphones
Touch Screens
Game controller 
Camera and Video Camera
Scanners (3D Scanner, Barcode scanner, Magnetic Stripe Reader, Biometric scanner)
Pen Tablets

Question 11

List the 4 types of input data

Answer 11

Text
Images
Sound
Data from Sensors

Question 12

List the 4 Output devices

Answer 12

Monitor
Data Projectors
Printers
Speakers and Headphones

Question 13

What does the resolution of a monitor refer to

Answer 13

The number of pixels used to form the screen image

Question 14

What is the response time in a monitor

Answer 14

The time it takes to change the value/color of a pixel

Question 15

What are the three common ports for connecting screens or monitors

Answer 15

VGA cables
Digital Video Interface (DVI)
HDMI

Question 16

What is the contrast ratio in a monitor

Answer 16

The ratio between the darkest black and the lightest white

Question 17

What are the three types of printers

Answer 17

Laser Printer
Inkjet Printer
Dot-matrix Printer

Question 18

How does a laser printer work and what is it best for

Answer 18

It melts toner onto the paper
Relatively cheap to run and faster than inkjets
General Purpose printing

Question 19

How does an inkjet printer work and what is it best for

Answer 19

Sprays dots of ink onto paper
Slower than laser printers
Best for printing photo quality images

Question 20

How does a dot-matrix printer work and what is it best for

Answer 20

Strikes pins onto paper through inked ribbons

Best for printing invoices and bills etc

Question 21

What does the quality of sound in a computer depend on

Answer 21

The sound card

Speakers or headphones used

Question 22

List the 3 portable storage devices

Answer 22

Flash Drives
Memory Cards
Portable Hard Drives

Question 23

List the 4 characteristics of Flash Drives

Answer 23

Electronic rather than mechanical
Much faster than optical or magnetic storage
Comparatively more expensive per GB than magnetic storage
Less likely to be damaged compared to hard drives and optical discs

Question 24

What are the two types of portable hard drives

Answer 24

2. 5” Drives

3. 5” Drives

Question 25

What is the main difference between the two types of portable hard drives

Answer 25

3.5” drives have much larger capacity but you have to carry around an extra power supply and need to access a power socket before you can use it