Chapter 1 Flashcards by sara sunflower

What are the common misconceptions about computer science

Computer science is the study of computers.
Computer science is the study of how to write computer programs.
Computer science is the study of the uses and applications of computers and software.

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What is computer science a study of

The study of algorithims

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What aspects of algorithims are studied in computer science

Their formal and mathematical properties
Their hardware realizations
Their linguistic realizations
Their applications

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What is the informal definition of an algorithm

An ordered sequence of instructions that is guaranteed to solve a specific problem.

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What are some examples of an algorithm

Step 1: Do something
Step 2: Do something
Step 3: Do something

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What are the three types of operations used to construct algorithms

Sequential operations
Conditional operations
Iterative operations

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What is the definition of a sequential operation

Carries out a single well-defined task

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What is the definition of a conditional operation

Ask a question and the next operation is then selected on the basis of the answer to that question

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What is the definition of an iterative operation

Looping instructions that tell not to go on but go back and repeat the execution of a previous block of instructions

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What is an example of a sequential operation

A cookbook recipe

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What is an example of a conditional operation

A cookbook recipe that states that if you have a breadmaker then you will proceed with a different step (ex: a condition that changes the procedure)

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What is an example of an iterative operation

A computer writes hello over and over again and never preforms any other function

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Why are formal algorithms so important in computer science?

If we can specify an algorithm to solve a problem, then we can automate its solution

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What is a Computing agent

Machine, robot, person, or thing carrying out the steps of the algorithm

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What is an unsolved problem

Some problems are unsolvable, some solutions are too slow, and some solutions are not yet known

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What is an example of an unsolvable problem

Solving world peace

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What is the Formal Definition of an Algorithm

A well-ordered collection of unambiguous and effectively computable operations that, when executed, produces a result and halts in a finite amount of time

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What is a Well-ordered collection

Upon completion of an operation, we always know which operation to do next

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What does the statement unambiguous and effectively computable operations mean

It is not enough for an operation to be understandable, it must also be doable (effectively computable)

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What does effectively computable mean

Doable

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What are some examples of ambigious statements

Go back and do it again (Do what again?)
Start over (From where?)

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How do we know an a soltuion (algorithm ) is correct

To know whether a solution is correct, an algorithm must produce a result that is observable to a user:
A numerical answer
A new object
A change in the environment

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What are three examples of observable results

A numerical answer
A new object
A change in the environment

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What does an unambiguous operation/primitive operations mean

Can be understood by the computing agent without having to be further defined or simplified

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Why is it not enough for an operation to be understandable

It must also be doable (effectively computable) by the computing agent

Describe an infinite loop (in relation to algorithims)

Runs forever | Generally a mistake in the programming

What occured during the industrial revolution (in relation to algorithims)

Mechanized and automated repetitive physical tasks

What occured during the computer revolution of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries (in relation to algorithims)

Mechanized and automated repetitive mental tasks | Used algorithms and computer hardware

What happened in the seventeeth century in relation to computers

automation/simplification of arithmetic for scientific research

What occured in 1614 (history of computing)

John Napier invented logarithms as a way to simplify difficult mathematical computations (1614).

What occured in 1622 (history of computing)

The first slide rule appeared around 1622.

What happened in 1642 (history of computing)

Blaise Pascal designed and built a mechanical calculator named the Pascaline (1642).

What happened in 1673 (history of computing)

Gottfried Leibnitz constructed a mechanical calculator called Leibnitz’s Wheel (1673).

What could the seventeeth century computing devices do

Could represent numbers Could perform arithmetic operations on numbers Did not have a memory to store information Were not programmable (a user could not provide a sequence of actions to be executed by the device)

What happened in 1801 (history of computing)

Joseph Jacquard designed an automated loom that used punched cards to create patterns (1801)

What happened in the 1880s (history of computing)

``` Herman Hollerith (1880s onward) Designed and built programmable card-processing machines to read, tally, and sort data on punched cards for the U.S. Census Bureau Founded a company that became IBM in 1924 ```

What was the original definition of a luddite

Originally opposed to the new manufacturing technology introduced by the Jacquard Loom

What is the newer definition of a luddite

a term used to describe any group that is frightened or angered by the latest developments in any branch of science and technology, including computers

What did charles babbage do

Created the Difference Engine designed and built in 1823

What could the difference engine do

Could do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to six significant digits Could solve polynomial equations and other complex mathematical problems

Describe the analytical engine in relation to charles babbage

Designed but never built | Mechanical, programmable machine with parts that mirror that of a modern-day computer

Describe nineteenth century devices

Were mechanical, not electrical | Had many features of modern computers

What are the features of modern computers that nineteenth century devices had

Representation of numbers or other data Operations to manipulate the data Memory to store values in a machine-readable form Programmable: sequences of instructions could be predesigned for complex operations

What year was the Mark 1 created

1944

What is the Mark 1

Electromechanical computer used a mix of relays, magnets, and gears to process and store data

What year was the colossus created

1943

What is the colossus

General-purpose computer built by Alan Turing for the British Enigma project

What year was the ENIAC created

1946

What does the ENIAC stand for

Electronic numerical integrator and calculator

What is the ENIAC

First publicly known fully electronic computer

What did John Von Neumann propose

A radically different computer design based on a model called the stored program computer

Who built one of the first stored program computers

A research group at the university of pennsylvania

What was the name of the first stored program computer built by the U of P and what year was it created

EDVAC and in 1949

What was the name of the first commercially sold computer

UNIVAC 1 (a version of EDVAC)

What type of architecture do all modern computers use

Von Neumann architecture

What time period was represented by the first generation of computing

1950-1957

Describe the first generation of computing

Similar to EDVAC Vacuum tubes for processing and storage Large, expensive, and delicate Required trained users and special environments

What time period was represented by the second generation of computing

1957-1965

Describe the second generation of computing

Transistors and magnetic cores instead of vacuum tubes | Era of FORTRAN and COBOL

What were FORTRAN and COBOL

Some of the first high level programming languages

What time period was represented by the third generation of computing

1965-1975

Describe the third generation of computing

Era of the integrated circuit Birth of the first minicomputer: desk-sized, not room-sized, computers Birth of the software industry

What time period was represented by the fourth generation of computing

1975-1985

Describe the fourth generation of computing

The first microcomputer: desktop machine Development of widespread computer networks Electronic mail, graphical user interfaces, and embedded systems

What time period was represented by the fifth generation of computing

1985-

Describe the fifth generation of computing

Massively parallel processors capable of quadrillions of computations per second Handheld digital devices Powerful multimedia user interfaces incorporating sound, voice recognition, video, and television Wireless communications Massive cloud storage devices Ubiquitous computing Ultra-high-resolution graphics and virtual reality