Block 1 Part 3 - Mini Test

Question 1

How does a data bottleneck occur in a computer and how can it be avoided?

Answer 1

A bottleneck is a point where data and instructions get held up in their journey to and from the processor because of the difference in speed between the processor and main memory. One way of avoiding bottlenecks is by using cache memory.

Question 2

How can I melt my computer?

Answer 2

A computer can be melted if it is overclocked – that is, if the processor clock is altered so that it processes more instructions per second than the manufacturer intended. An overclocked computer produces more heat, and unless special cooling is employed, this heat can literally melt the computer.

Question 3

What are those strange strings of symbols, such as 0x7801cb24, on the ‘blue screen of death’ on my Windows machine?

Answer 3

Symbols such as 0x7801cb24 are values written in hexadecimal. (The 0x indicates this.) Hexadecimal (or hex) is a convenient way to represent large binary numbers such as memory addresses or operating system error codes.

Question 4

How can a ‘sip and a puff’ help a person with disabilities interact with a computer?

Answer 4

Sip and puff technology allows a computer user with disabilities to control a computer using sips (inhaling) and puffs (exhaling). The air-pressure changes are converted into signals that can control a mouse or a joystick.

Question 5

Do you do RISC?

Answer 5

You probably do because most computers today employ reduced instruction set computing, which is where the processor understands a smaller number of simpler instructions compared with a computer that employs complex instruction set computing.

Question 6

When is hardware not required for a computer?

Answer 6

When it is a virtual machine! A virtual machine is any configuration where a physical computer system is emulated using software.