Chapter 2 - Hardware

Question 1

Hardware

Answer 1

Hardware is a physical component of a computer system - anything that can be seen or touched

Question 2

Computer architecture

Answer 2

Computer architecture is the internal logical structure and organisation of the computer hardware

Question 3

Arithmetic and logic unit (ALU)

Answer 3

The ALU carries out all of the arithmetic and logical operations

Question 4

Control unit

Answer 4

The control unit uses electrical signals to control the flow of data within the CPU

Question 5

Boot sequence

Answer 5

The boot sequence is a sequence of processes that contains all the information and instructions to get the computer running

Question 6

CPU clock speed

Answer 6

CPU clock speed determines the speed of the fetch-execute cycle. It is measured in cycles per second (Gigahertz (GHz))

Question 7

Cache memory

Answer 7

Cache memory is memory with similar access times to the CPU. Data from main memory is copied here if frequently used

Question 8

Multi-core processors

Answer 8

Multi-core processors have multiple CPUs working together - more data is processed but more complicated OSs are needed

Question 9

RAM

Answer 9

RAM is random access memory. It stores programs in use by the computer and the operating system, and is volatile

Question 10

ROM

Answer 10

ROM is read only memory. It stores the boot program and is non-volatile

Question 11

Virtual memory

Answer 11

Virtual memory is part of the hard drive used as an extension to RAM - access times are slower but it allows the processor to carry on work

Question 12

Flash memory

Answer 12

Flash memory is a type of ROM that can be rewritten

Question 13

NOT gate

Answer 13

NOT gate swaps the input

Question 14

AND gate

Answer 14

AND gate needs both inputs to be 1 before outputting 1

Question 15

OR gate

Answer 15

OR gate outputs 1 if either input is 1

Question 16

Input device

Answer 16

An input device is used to enter commands to the computer

Question 17

Output device

Answer 17

An output device displays results of data processing in a way that humans can understand

Question 18

Secondary storage

Answer 18

Secondary storage stores data and programs when the power is switched off

Question 19

Magnetic hard disk

Answer 19

A magnetic hard disk stores the operating system, programs and data - reliable, high capacity and low cost

Question 20

Name some specialist input devices (5)

Answer 20

1) Braille keyboard
2) Microphone
3) Eye-typer
4) Foot mouse
5) Puff-suck switch

Question 21

Name some specialist output devices (3)

Answer 21

1) Speaker
2) Braille printer
3) Actuator

Question 22

What are optical disks good for?

Answer 22

Transferring files or distributing software - cheap, good capacity, lightweight, portable

Question 23

What is flash memory good for?

Answer 23

Hand held devices - good capacity, consumes little power but expensive

Question 24

Why are both ROM and RAM needed in a computer?

Answer 24

To store initial settings, and data in use