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[OBSELETE] AQA - A Level CS > Computer Systems > Flashcards

Computer Systems Flashcards

1
Q

What does Software mean?

A

A collection of procedures and rules that carry out the operation on a computer stored on an internal or external storage

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2
Q

What does hardware mean?

A

The physical components that make up a computer (Motherboards, Keyboard)

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3
Q

What is the relationship between software and hardware?

A
  • Both are required during startup to boot OS
    • Maintain background tasks
    • Continual Checks ensure smooth performance
  • Required for input, and output systems
    • A mouse (hardware) picks up movement from the sensor sending the input to the PC
    • Input is received and recognised by the drivers and an output is sent back
    • Resulting in the cursor moving on the screen
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4
Q

What is system software and what are the uses?

A

Designed to assist the computer in the efficient execution of application programs

Such as an OS - Linux, Windows

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5
Q

What is application software and what are the uses?

A

Allows for the user to achieve specific tasks that the user wishes to perform
Such as Notion or Chrome

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6
Q

What is the role of utility programs?

A

User-operated programs to maintain the functionality of a system

Management, diagnostic tools - Task Manager

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7
Q

What is the role of libraries?

A
  • Generic name for collections of programs that can develop new software
  • Installed when a game or program requires it
  • Can be used to automate tasks
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8
Q

What is the role of translators and what are the different types?

A

Translators

  • 3 types - Compilers, Assemblers, Interpreters
  • Convert source code into code a computer can understand
  • Assemblers
    • Converts assembly language into machine code
  • Compilers
    • Checks lines of program to see if they are following syntax
    • Then converting the entire source code into object code
  • Interpreters
    • Line-by-line syntax check as well as execution
    • Repeated until code is complete
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9
Q

What is the role of the operating system?

A
  • Collection of programs supplying an abstraction
  • Abstraction through virtual machines hiding complexities
  • Provides a user interface
  • Manages the system processes and management
    • Input and Output devices
    • Memory management
    • Program management
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10
Q

What are the levels that the OS hides from the user?

A
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11
Q

What is process management?

A

Process Management

  • Involves scheduling and switching of programs and threads
  • Gives the illusion that multiple apps are running at the same time
  • Even though only each processor can only run one process at a time
  • Accomplished by the process control block
    • A list of tasks sorted by priority
    • All programs have to be run once or a limited amount of time
    • Switched in order that is efficient
    • Without bringing down the efficiency of the time interactive applications
  • Can be altered through user actions such as task manager
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12
Q

What is device management?

A

Device Management

  • Installs the correct device drivers
  • Device drivers use a layer of abstraction
  • Such as the encoding of sound files to an actual speaker
  • Hardware devices organised in priority
  • When a hardware device performs a duty an interrupt occurs and is sent to the interrupt handler
  • Interrupt handlers direct the flow of execution to the correct driver
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13
Q

What is memory management?

A

Memory Management

  • OS has to keep track of all the memory available
  • Avoiding programmes running out of memory and crashing
  • Shifting of contents in memory to and from the hard drive
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14
Q

What is the provision of a virtual machine?

A

Provision of a virtual machine

  • Abstracting all processes behind hardware and software
  • Providing a UI hiding all operations
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15
Q

What is the role of an assembler?

A

An assembler is a program that takes instructions in assembly language into machine code

  • Where the code is checked for syntax errors
  • Support the use of pseudo-operations like reserving space for data

Instructions not directly translatable

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16
Q

Explain this diagram

A
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17
Q

What is the role of a compiler + advantages?

A
  • Checks all the lines in the code
  • Converts all the lines of code into machine language
  • Then is executed by a computer

Advantages

  • Machine codes run faster than an interpreter
  • Machine code can run without a compiler
  • Copies of compiled programmes are secure as no source code can be seen
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18
Q

What is the role of an interpreter + advantages?

A
  • Checks line by line for invalid instructions
  • Translates each statement line by line to machine code
  • Executes machine code line by line

Advantages

  • Programmers can debug each problem as they come across it
  • Easier development
  • Error in source code can be corrected
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19
Q

When would you want to use a compiler?

A
  • Creating an executable file from a high-level language
  • Performance boost due to already being compiled
  • Giving better loading and run times (Graphics)
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20
Q

When would you want to use an interpreter?

A
  • Good for debugging
  • Good for compiling real-time websites (Using JavaScript)
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21
Q

When would you want to use an assembler?

A
  • Good for converting assembly into opcodes
  • Understandable for computers can be used to form tasks
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22
Q

What is an intermediate language?

A
  • The abstract programming language used by a compiler
  • In between steps when translating compute code into machine code
  • So that code can e analysed and optimisations can be made during translation
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23
Q

What is the difference between source code and executable code?

A
  • Source code is given to a compiler to be converted into machine code.
  • Executable code indicates tasks according to encoded instructions the CPU can directly execute.
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24
Q

What is the truth table and shape for the NOT gate?

A
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25
Q

What is the truth table and shape for the AND gate?

A
26
Q

What is the truth table and shape for the OR gate?

A
27
Q

What is the truth table and shape for the XOR gate?

A

Known as exlusive disjusjunction

28
Q

What is the truth table and shape for the NAND gate?

A
29
Q

What is the truth table and shape for the NOR gate?

A
30
Q

What is a logic gate circuit

A

A logic gate circuit is a series of logic gates which can have an input which goes through all the gates and has an output

As shown in a truth table

31
Q

How do you create truth tables for logic gate circuits?

A
32
Q

What is Boolean algebra?

A
  • Represents values with letters and values
  • Values 1 or 0 representing True and False
33
Q

What is the NOT symbol?

A

Know negation

34
Q

What is the AND symbol?

A

Know as conjuction

35
Q

What is the OR symbol

A

Known as disjunction

36
Q

What is the order of Precedence?

A

The order of precedence is the Order in which Operations occur in Boolean algebra

37
Q

What are Boolean Identities

A

Help simplify the Boolean expression

38
Q

What are the AND identities?

A
39
Q

What are the OR identities?

A
40
Q

What are the NOT identities?

A
41
Q

What is De Morgan’s Law?

A
42
Q

What is distributive rules?

A
43
Q

What is machine langague?

A
  • Binary
  • Allows for instructions to be directly executed off the hardware
  • Limited amount of people able to program
44
Q

What is assembly language?

A
  • Low level language
  • One to one relationship with machine langague
  • Allows for keywords to be used instead of remembering binary
45
Q

What is fortran , C and pascal examples of?

A
  • High level languages
  • Each instruciton can give rise to many line of machine code
  • One to many realtionship
46
Q

What is the hierachy of software languages?

A
47
Q

What are impreative languages?

A
  • AKA Procedural langauge
  • Code executed line by line
  • Uses sequence, selection, iteration amdsubroutines
  • C#, Java, Python
48
Q

What is machine coed language?

A
  • Least abstract
  • Closed to what happens on a computer
  • Binary
  • Translate directly into matching electical signals
  • 1 is a high voltage, 0 is a low voltage
49
Q

What is assembly language?

A
  • Uses short mnemonics
  • Which is recived and looked up in a table and replaced with binary during translation
  • one to one relationship
50
Q

What is the advantages of assembly/machine code?

A
  • Same effiency of execution as machine code due to its one to one nature
  • Can produce very recise and locally optimised and efficient code
  • Direct access to system-level geatures without a need to go thorugha softwre interface increasing speed
51
Q

What are the disadvantages of assembly/machine code?

A
  • Machine dependednt and hard to port
  • Hard to find programmers that code in machine code
  • Testing and writing is long due to lots of bugs
  • Hard to understand leading to difficulty in modifiying and maintaining
52
Q

What are the different stages that a compiler carries out?

A
53
Q

What is bytecode?

A
  • Type of intermediate code which is generic
  • Cannot be run on its own due to translation needed
  • Runs on a virutal machine which is different for different OS
  • Which takes the intermediate code and translates it into specific machine code
  • Allowing for cross-compatability between OS like Java does with JVM
54
Q

What is half adders?

A
  • Logic gate circuit
  • Takes n a2 bit input and produces a two bit output
  • Which is the correct result of a binary addition of the two inputs
  • Uses a AND and XOR gate
55
Q

What are full adders?

A
  • Logic gate circuit which combines two half adders
  • Add a 3-bit input to include the inputs A and B along with the carry bit C
  • Extra OR gate allows you to output the carry bit
56
Q

What is a Flip Flop?

A
  • Basic circuit that can storeone bit and flip it between 1 and 0
  • Has two inputs Control input (D) and a clock signal
  • Clock signal provided by anthercirciot which changesstate at time intervals
57
Q

What is a D-type flip flop?

A
  • Positive edgetriggered flip-flop circuit
  • Ouput can only be changed from 1 to 0 or 0 to 1 when the clock pulse is a rising or positive edge
  • If its not at a rising or positive edge, the input dosent change and is held
58
Q

What is the structure of the D-type flip flop?

A
59
Q

Describe what would happen in a D-type flip flop?

A
60
Q

How are D-Type flip flops used in memory?

A
  • Can be used as a memmory unit
  • D-type flip flopcircuit can act as 1 bit or memory
  • Joining multiple multiple -type flip flop circuits you can store more like 16 bits
  • Used in register memory and static RAM

[OBSELETE] AQA - A Level CS (13 decks)

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