Computer Systems Flashcards
What are the first 8 column heading of binary?
128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1
How many bits are in a byte?
8
How many bytes are in a kilobyte
1024
How many kilobytes are in a megabyte
1024
How many megabytes are in a gigabyte
1024
How many gigabytes are in a terabyte
1024
How do you remember the order of bits, bytes, etc…
Big
Boys
Kiss
My
Girly
Toes
What is the order for bits, bytes, etc…
Bit
Byte
Kilobyte
Megabyte
Gigabyte
Terabyte
What is 3 in 3x10^8
Mantissa
What is 10 in 3x10^8
Base
What is ^8 in 3x10^8
Exponent
How would you acquire more precision in floating point numbers?
increasing the bits in the mantissa
How would you acquire more range in floating point numbers?
Increasing the bits used to represent the exponent
What is ASCII?
An 8 bit code where each character is given its own ASCII code.
The 8 bits provide 256 possible values for text
Define vector graphics
Vector graphics contain a number of individual objects grouped toghter to make an image
How would one describe vector graphics?
Objects which are described mathematically to the computer
Images are drawn the the best possible resolution of the output device
Each object is independent of the others
They exist within their own layer
The size of the file increases in relation to the amount of objects in the image
Define Bitmap
Bitmap representation of graphics mean that each pixel on a graphic is represented by a series of bits
What is meant by bit depth?
The more bits assigned to represent each pixel the greater the colours or shades of grey that can be represented
The larger the bit depth the _____ file size
larger
The smaller the bit depth the _____ file size
smaller
What are advantages of bitmap?
They allow the user to edit at pixel level
Storing a bit mapped graphic will take the same amount of space no matter how complex you make there graphic
What are disadvantages of bitmap?
They demand lots of storage particularly when lots of colours are used.
The quality of the image can change if the resolution is changed in which pixels would be eliminated when enhanced
You cannot isolate an individual object and edit it
What goes through the processor?
Input
ROM
RAM
Backing storage
Does ROM’s arrow go:
into the processor,
from the processor,
Both
into the processor
Does RAM’s arrow go:
into the processor,
from the processor,
Both
Both
Does Inputs’s arrow go:
into the processor,
from the processor,
Both
into the processor
Does outputs arrow go:
into the processor,
from the processor,
Both
from the processor
Does Backing Storages arrow go:
into the processor,
from the processor,
Both
Both
When you are using the computer, all the data you are working on will be in the computers _____
RAM
What’s special about all information stored in RAM?
It can be read from and changed
When i switch the computer off, everything that was currently being stored in _____ will be lost.
RAM
Is this statement true or false?
RAM is backing storage
false
Is this statement true or false?
RAM is not backing storage
True
What does RAM stand for?
Random
Access
Memory
What does ROM stand for?
Read
Only
Memory
Information stored in _____ can only be read, it can not be changed in any way
ROM
When you switch an computer off, all information currently stored in _____ is not lost
ROM
True or false?
ROM is backing storage
False
True or false?
ROM is not backing storage
True
What is the unit for the speed a processor is measured in?
Gigahertz (GHz)
What is a processor?
A microchip that controls everything that happens in a computer
What are the 3 main components of a processor?
Arithmetic & Logic Unit (ALU)
Control Unit
Registers
What happens in the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)?
Calculations
Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT)
Comparisons
What is the purpose of the Control Unit?
It sends out control signals:
- Within the processor to move data from one register to another and to activate ALU functions.
- To the control bus to read or write from memory
- To input/output models
What is the purpose of registers?
Registers are storage locations that are internal to the processor and are used to:
- Hold data that is being transferred to or from memory
- Hold the address of the location in memory which the processor is accessing to read or write data
- Hold the instructions that are being carried out
What’s the function of the Data Bus?
- The lines on the data bus allow data to be transferred between processor and main memory
- Each line can carry one bit and it’s width can be measured in the number of lines
- The width of data bus determines how well a system will perform
What’s the function of the Address Bus?
- It hold the address of the memory location needing to be accessed
- The more lines in the address bus the more locations the system can theoretically access
- The maximum number of locations the system can access is 2width of the address bus
What is Machine Code?
Programs (where the instructions are made up of binary numbers) that run very fast but are difficult for humans to understand
What is a High Level Language?
- Code which is written to make it easy for the programmer to understand.
- High level language describes any language that uses English commands. e.g. Print/repeat
- This slows the computer down as it has to translate the High Level Language into machine code
What are the two translators?
Compilers
Interpreters
What do compilers do?
- The whole program is translated into machine core at once creating a new file
- The object code can be executed as many times as needed without having to translate again
- If a syntax error the code won’t run
What do interpreters do?
- The whole program is translated and executed line by line without saving the results
- The code can be translated in various platforms if translators are used
- The interpreter will run parts of the code if there is a syntax error
How do we reduce our carbon footprint?
- Buying green computers and peripherals
- Switching off computers/monitors when they are not in use
- Setting computers, monitors, hard disk drives and peripherals to energy saving modes
What is a firewall?
A system used to protect networks from intruders by controlling what data can pass through the firewall
What does encryption do?
Encryption involves scrambling a message and putting it into a code meaning if it’s intercepted it can’t be read
Is main memory small or
big in terms of storage
According to that test, small
Is RAM small or
big in terms of storage
According to that test, big
