Chapter One: Introduction to Computers and Programming

Question 1

Program

Answer 1

set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task. Commonly referred to as Software.

Question 2

Programmer

Answer 2

person who can design, create, and test computer programs.

Also known as Software Developer

Question 3

Hardware

Answer 3

the physics devices or components that make up a computer.

Computer is a system composed of several components that all work together.

Question 4

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Answer 4

the part of the computer that actually runs programs.
Most important Component.
Without it, cannot run software.
Used to be a huge device

Question 5

Microprocessors

Answer 5

CPUs located on small chips

Question 6

Micro-Memory

Answer 6

where computers store:
A program while the program is running
Data used by the program
Known as Random Access Memory or RAM
CPU is able to quickly access data in RAM
Volatile memory used for temporary storage
Contents are erased when computer is off

Question 7

Secondary Storage

Answer 7

can hold data for long periods of time.

Programs normally stored here and located to main memory when needed.

Question 8

Disk Drive

Answer 8

magnetically encodes data on a circular disk

Question 9

flash memory

Answer 9

portable, no physical disk

Question 10

optical devices

Answer 10

data encoded optically

Question 11

Input

Answer 11

data the computer collects from people and other devices

Question 12

Input devices

Answer 12

component that collects the data
Example: keyboard, mouse, scanner, camera
Disk Drives can be considered input devices because they load programs into the main memory.

Question 13

output

Answer 13

data produced by the computer for other people or devices

Can be text, images, audio, or bit stream

Question 14

Output Devices

Answer 14

formats and presents output
Example: video display, printer
Disk Drives and CD recorders can be considered output devices because data is sent to be saved.

Question 15

software

Answer 15

everything the computer does is controlled by software

Question 16

Application Software

Answer 16

programs that make computer useful for everyday tasks

Question 17

Byte

Answer 17

just enough memory to store letter or smaller number

Divided into 8 Bits

Question 18

Bit (Binary Digit)

Answer 18

electrical component that can hold positive or negative charge, like on/off switch

Question 19

BINARY NUMBER SYSTEM

Answer 19

8 bits= 1 byte, 1 byte= character, number, or special char

Question 20

digital

Answer 20

describes any device that stores data as binary numbers

Question 21

digital images

Answer 21

are composed of pixels

To store images, each pixel is converted to a binary number representing the pixels color

Question 22

digital music

Answer 22

is composed of sections called samples

to store music, each sample is converted to a binary number

Question 23

fetch

Answer 23

read the instruction from memory into CPU

Question 24

decode

Answer 24

CPU decodes fetched instructions to determine which operation to perform

Question 25

execute

Answer 25

perform the operation
FPU- floating point unit
ALU- arithmetic logic unit
CONT- everything else

Question 26

what is a program?

Answer 26

the set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task. commonly referred to as software

Question 27

what are the 5 major components of a computer system?

Answer 27

CPU 
microprocessors 
micro-memory 
secondary storage 
Input 
Output 
Software

Question 28

what fundamental set of programs control the internal operations of the computers software?

Answer 28

Operations Software

Question 29

how much memory is enough to store a letter of the alphabet or a smaller number?

Answer 29

1 byte= 8 bits

Question 30

on what numbering system are all numeric values written as sequences of 0s and 1s?

Answer 30

computer numbering system

Question 31

what encoding scheme is extensive enough to represent the characters of many of the languages of the world?

Answer 31

unicode

Question 32

assembly language

Answer 32

uses short words (mnemonics) for instructions instead of binary numbers.
Easier for programmers to work with

Question 33

assembler

Answer 33

translates assembly language to machine language for execution by CPU

Question 34

low-level language

Answer 34

close in nature to machine language.

Example: assembly language

Question 35

high-level language

Answer 35

allows simple creation if powerful and complex programs
No need to know how CPU works or write large numbers of instructions
a more intuitive to understand

Question 36

key words

Answer 36

predefined words used to write program in high-level language
Each key word has a specific meaning

Question 37

operators

Answer 37

perform operations on data

example:agh operators to perform arithmetic

Question 38

syntax

Answer 38

set of rules to be followed when writing program

Question 39

statement

Answer 39

individual instructions used in high-level language

Question 40

compiler

Answer 40

translates high-level language program into separate machine language program.
machine language program can be executed at any time

Question 41

interpreter

Answer 41

translates and executes instructions in high-level language program.
Used by python language
interprets one instruction at a time
no deprecate machine language program

Question 42

source code

Answer 42

statements written by programmer

Question 43

syntax error

Answer 43

prevents code from being translated