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GCSE > Computing > Flashcards

Computing Flashcards

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1
Q

What is hardware?

A

Physical components that make up a computer system

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2
Q

What is software?

A

Programs or applications that a computer system runs

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3
Q

What is an embedded system?

A

A computer which is designed to perform 1 specific task

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4
Q

What are the advantages of an embedded system?

A
  • Easier to design
  • Cheaper to produce
  • More efficient at their task
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5
Q

What does the processing power of the CPU depend on?

A
  • Clock speed
  • Number of cores
  • Cache size
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6
Q

What does the CPU do?

A

Manages the fetch, decode, execute cycle. Also controls the flow of data inside the CPU

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7
Q

What does the ALU do?

A

Performs arithmetic and logical operations

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8
Q

What does cache do?

A

A very fast memory that temporarily stores data and instructions that the processor is likely to reuse

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9
Q

What does the program counter do?

A

Holds memory address of next instruction for each cycle

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10
Q

What does the accumulator do?

A

Stores results of calculations from the ALU

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11
Q

What does the MAR do?

A

Holds any memory address about to be used by the CPU

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12
Q

What does MDR do?

A

Holds the actual data or instruction, which is either fetched from memory or waiting to be written to memory

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13
Q

What is volatile memory?

A

Memory that requires power to retain its data

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14
Q

What does RAM do?

A

Holds data and instructions which are currently being used

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15
Q

What does ROM do?

A

Contains instructions a computer needs to properly boot up.

The instructions are known as BIOS (Basic Input Output System)

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16
Q

What is primary storage?

A

The memory areas that hold data currently being used. It has the fastest read/write speed.

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17
Q

What is secondary storage?

A

A non-volatile storage of data that’s not in use. Read/write speeds are slower than primary storage.

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18
Q

What are some examples of primary storage?

A
  • RAM
  • ROM
  • Cache
  • Flash memory
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19
Q

What are some examples of secondary storage?

A
  • Hard disk drives
  • USB memory sticks
  • Optical storage devices
  • Solid state devices
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20
Q

What are the functions of the operating system?

A
  • Communicate with internal and external hardware
  • Provide a user interface
  • Provide a platform for applications to run
  • Allow the computer to multitask by controlling memory resources
  • Deal with file and disk management
  • Manage security
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21
Q

What is encryption?

A

Scrambling data and providing the receiver with the key to unscramble so it is unreadable by unauthorized users.

(Note that unauthorized users can still receive data, but not read it)

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22
Q

What is defragmentation?

A

The process of reorganizing files on a hard drive so that related data is stored together in continuous blocks

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23
Q

What is lossy compression?

A

Permanently removing data from files to reduce size

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24
Q

What is lossless compression?

A

Temporarily removing data to store a file but then restoring it to its original state when opened

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25
Q

How many bits does ASCII use and how many characters does this allow?

A
  • 7 bits
  • 128 characters
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26
Q

How many bits does extended ASCII use and how many characters does this allow?

A
  • 8 bits
  • 256 characters
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27
Q

What does 1 left shift do to a binary number?

A

Doubles it

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28
Q

What does 1 right shift do to a binary number?

A

Halves it

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29
Q

What is the formula for calculating the size of a text file?

A

Bits per character x Number of characters

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30
Q

What is the formula for calculating the size of an image file?

A

Resolution x Colour depth
OR
Width x Height x Colour depth

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31
Q

What is the formula for calculating the size of a sound file?

A

Sample rate (Hz) x Bit depth x Duration (s)

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32
Q

What is the conversion rate between all units of data?

A

Bit (b)
x4
Nibble
x2
Byte (B)
x 1000
Kilobyte (kB)
x1000
Megabyte (MB)
x1000
Gigabyte (GB)
x1000
Terabyte (TB)
x1000
Petabyte (PB)

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33
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of lossy compression?

A

Advantages
- Greatly reduced file size
- Files take up less bandwidth
- Lots of software can read lossy files

Disadvantages
- Lots of data lost
- Cannot be returned to original state
- Cannot be used on text and software files
- Worse quality

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34
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of lossless compression?

A

Advantages
- Data is only temporarily removed
- File should sound or look like the original
- Can be returned to original state
- Can be used on text and software files unlike lossy

Disadvantages
- Only a slight reduction in file size

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35
Q

What does LAN stand for and what does it do?

A

Local Area Network
Connects devices over a small geographical area in a single site

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36
Q

What does WAN stand for and what does it do?

A

Wide Area Network
Connects devices or LANs across a large geographical area

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37
Q

What does NIC do and what does it do?

A

Network Interface Card
An internal piece of hardware that allows a device to connect to a network

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38
Q

What does a switch do?

A

Connects devices on a LAN by receiving and forwarding data packets

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39
Q

What does a router do?

A

Directs data from one LAN to another

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40
Q

What does a Wireless Access Point do?

A

Allows wireless access to a network

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41
Q

What is bandwidth?

A

The amount of data that can be transferred in a given time

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42
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of client-server networks?

A

Advantages
- Easier to keep track of files as they’re stored centrally
- Easier to perform back-ups
- Easier to install and update software
- Easier to manage network security
- Servers are very reliable and always on

Disadvantages
- Expensive to set up
- Requires IT specialists to set up and maintain
- Very dependent on the server
- Server can be overloaded

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43
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of peer-to-peer networks?

A

Advantages
- Easy to maintain
- No dependence on a server

Disadvantages
- No centralised management
- Easy to lose track of what files are stored
- Peer machines are less reliable
- Machines are prone to slowing down when other devices access them

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44
Q

What does TCP/IP stand for and do?

A

Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
Sets rules on how devices connect on a network

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45
Q

What does HTTP stand for and do?

A

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
Allows a client to request info from a web server and receive a response

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46
Q

What does HTTPS stand for and do?

A

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure
Encrypts data between a user and a website

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47
Q

What does FTP stand for and do?

A

File Transfer Protocol
Used to access, edit and move files between devices on a network

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48
Q

What does POP3 stand for and do?

A

Post Office Protocol (Version 3)
Used to retrieve emails from a server. Emails are held on a server until you download it.

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49
Q

What does IMAP stand for and do?

A

Internet Message Access Protocol
Used to access and manage emails on a remote mail server

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50
Q

What does SMTP stand for and do?

A

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Used to send emails

51
Q

What does DNS stand for and what does it do?

A

Domain Name Server
Translates website domain names into IP addresses

52
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage?

A

Advantages
- Users can access files from any connected device
- Easy to increase available storage
- No need to buy expensive hardware
- No need to pay IT staff to manage hardware
- Cloud host provides security and back-ups for you
- Cloud software is updated automatically

Disadvantages
- Internet connection required
- Dependent on host
- Data can be vulnerable to hackers
- Unclear ownership rights
- Subscription fees may be expensive

53
Q

What are user access levels?

A

Restricting specific users on what they have access to

54
Q

Which methods are used to attack networks?

A
  • Malware
  • Brute-force attacks
  • Social engineering
  • Denial of service
  • Data interception / theft
  • SQL injection
55
Q

How can network attacks be prevented?

(Name as many as you can)

A
  • Anti-malware software
  • Firewalls
  • Physical security like locks to doors and biometrics
  • Strong passwords
  • Encryption
  • Penetration testing
  • User access levels
56
Q

What is a MAC address?

A

A unique identifier for a device that is connected to a local network

57
Q

What is an IP address

A

A unique identifier for a device that is connected to a global network

58
Q

Which chemicals can produce e-waste?

(Name as many as you can)

A
  • Lead
  • Cadnium
  • Mercury
  • Nickel
  • Arsenic
  • Zinc
  • Antimony
  • Beryllium
59
Q

What is e-waste?

A

The disposal of electronic devices

60
Q

What is the Data Protection Act (1998)?

A

A law that regulated how businesses could use personal information, protecting data misuse

61
Q

What is the Computer Misuse Act (1990)?

A

A law that criminalized accessing or modifying data without permission

62
Q

What is the Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988)?

A

A law that protects the rights of a creator to their work

63
Q

What is copyright?

A

A legal term used to describe the rights a creator has over their work

64
Q

What is licensing?

A

A legal agreement that outlines the use and redistribution of computer software

65
Q

What is a trademark?

A

A sign that is used to identify a company or brand and distinguishes its products and services from others

66
Q

What is a patent?

A

A legal protection that gives the owner exclusive rights to an invention

67
Q

What is a stakeholder?

A

A person or group of people who are affected by or have interest in the actions of an organisation or product

68
Q

What is open source software?

A

Software that is free to use and allows users to access, modify and distribute the source code

69
Q

What is proprietary software?

A

Software that is owned by a company and protected by copyright

70
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of open source software?

A

Advantages
- Usually free
- Made for greater good, not profit
- Software can be adapted to fit needs
- Wide pool of collaborators can be more creative than programmers of 1 company
- Problems are quicky solved by the community

Disadvantages
- Small projects may not get updated and get buggy
- May have limited user documentation
- No warranties if something goes wrong
- No customer support
- Companies using open source may not want competitors to see their code

71
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of proprietary software?

A

Advantages
- Comes with warranties, documentation and customer support
- Should be well-tested and reliable
- Usually cheaper for companies than developing their own custom software

Disadvantages
- Can be expensive for users
- Software may not fit a user’s needs
- Companies may not maintain older software to persuade people to buy the latest product

72
Q

What is decomposition?

A

Breaking down a complex problem into smaller, more manageable problems

73
Q

What is abstraction?

A

Picking important parts of a problem and ignoring unneccessary detail

74
Q

What is algorithmic thinking?

A

A logical way of getting from a problem to a solution

75
Q

What is the symbol for a process in a flowchart?

A

Rectangle

76
Q

What is the symbol for the start/end of a flowchart?

A

Oval

77
Q

What is the symbol for a decision in a flowchart?

A

Diamond

78
Q

What is the symbol for an input/output in a flowchart?

A

Parallelogram

79
Q

What is computational thinking?

A

A systematic approach to solving problems

80
Q

What is an integer?

A

A whole number

81
Q

What is a real (or float)?

A

A decimal number

82
Q

What is Boolean?

A

A data type that has one of 2 values
(e.g. true/false or yes/no)

83
Q

What is a character?

A

A single letter, number or symbol

84
Q

What is a string?

A

A collection of characters

85
Q

What are the 3 programming structures?

A
  • Selection
  • Sequence
  • Iteration
86
Q

What is a selection?

(Programming construct)

A

The process of decision-making

87
Q

What is a sequence?

(Programming construct)

A

The order that commands are executed

88
Q

What is an iteration?

(Programming construction)

A

Repitition of code

89
Q

What is the typical operator for addition?

A

+

90
Q

What is the typical operator for subtraction?

A

-

91
Q

What is the typical operator for multiplication?

A

*

92
Q

What is the typical operator for division?

A

/

93
Q

What is the typical operator for exponentiation?

A

^ OR **

94
Q

What is the typical operator for an integer while dividing?

A

DIV

95
Q

What is the typical operator for remainder while dividing?

A

MOD
OR
%

96
Q

What is the code to open a file?

A

file = open()

97
Q

What is the code to create a new text file?

A

newFile()

98
Q

What is the code to write in a text file?

A

file.writeLine()

99
Q

What is the code to read a file?

A

file.readLine()

100
Q

What is the code to close a file?

A

file.close()

101
Q

What are the 3 key words when searching for data in SQL and what do they mean

A

SELECT - the column you want to search
FROM - the name of the table
WHERE - specific conditions (e.g.
score < 5)

102
Q

What does:
1) a function do?
2) a procedure do?

A

Function: returns a value
Procedure: performs a task but doesnt return value

103
Q

What is a:
1) local variable
2) global variable

A

Local: a variable only existing in a specific subroutine
Global: a variable that can be accessed and changed throughout an entire program

104
Q

What are the 5 types of checks?

A
  • Range check
  • Format check
  • Length check
  • Presence check
  • Type check
105
Q

What is input validation?

A

Checking if data meets certain criteria before passing into a program

106
Q

What is authentication?

A

Verifying the identity of a user before they’re allowed to access certain pieces of data or features of a program

107
Q

What is a syntax error?

A

An error that breaks the grammatical rules of programming, stopping it from running

108
Q

What is a logic error?

A

An error when code is entered correctly, but doesn’t output the desired output

109
Q

What is iterative testing?

A

Testing a program while it is being developed

110
Q

What is final (terminal) testing?

A

Testing a program at the end of the development process

111
Q

What are 4 data types?

A
  • Normal data
  • Boundary data
  • Erroneous data
  • Invalid data
112
Q

What is normal data?

A

Data that is accepted by the program

113
Q

What is boundary data?

A

Values at the limit of what the program can accept/handle

114
Q

What is erroneous data?

A

Data inputs of the wrong data type

115
Q

What is invalid data?

A

Data of the correct data type, but is outside of the accepted/handleable range

116
Q

What does a NOT gate do?

A

Reverses the input value. (1 becomes 0 and 0 becomes 1)

117
Q

What does an AND gate do?

A

Returns 1 only if both inputs are 1

118
Q

What does an OR gate do?

A

Returns 1 if one or both inputs are 1

119
Q

What are the characteristics of a high-level language?

A
  • One instruction represents many instructions of machine code
  • Same code will work for many different machines and processors
  • Easier to debug
  • Must be translated before a computer can understand it
120
Q

What are the characteristics of low-level language?

A
  • One instruction of assembly code represents one instruction of machine code
  • Works on one type of processor
  • Harder to debug
  • Directly executable
121
Q

What does an interpreter do?

A
  • Translates and runs source code one instruction at a time
  • Returns the first error found and then stops
  • Programs run slower
  • Can only be run on 1 machine
  • Creates object code
122
Q

What does a compiler do?

A
  • Translates all source code at once
  • Program won’t run if there is a syntax error
  • Programs run faster
  • Executable file can be run by multiple machines
  • Creates an executable file
123
Q

What does IDE stand for?

A

Integrated Development Environment

124
Q

What are the features of IDE when:
1) writing code
2) running code

A

Writing code
- Code editor
- Bracket matching
- Auto-complete
- Syntax checking

Running code
- Run-time environment
- Debugging
- Error diagnosis

GCSE (11 decks)

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