Final exam revision Flashcards
What are the three steps to ‘Two’s compliment’?
1) Work out normal binary
2) Flip
3) Add 1
What is a procedural language?
Procedural languages are the most common type of programming language. Programs written in procedural language will consist of a sequence of commands which will be executed in a predictable order from beginning to end. They use standard arithmetic operations ( +,-, *,/) and a wide variety of control structures and sub-programs.
What is a declarative language?
Declarative lanuages tend to have fewer variable types and less control structures than procedural languages. They make more use of programming techniques like recursion (Where a sub program repeatedly calls itself until a simple base fact is identified). They also use self-modifying code (Where the program modifies its set of facts and rules). E.G: PROLOG, Lisp.
What’s the formula for calculating the size of video files?
File Size (Bytes) = Frame Size (Bytes) x Frame Rate (FPS) x Video Time (Seconds)
What are the advantages of a Vector graphic?
> Can be scaled to large sizes, keeping original quality.
Are easily converted to bitmap formats
File sizes are relatively small
Size of image can be increased keeping quality and file size the same.
What are the advantages of Bitmap graphics?
> Images can be very realistic
Pixel level editing is allowed - allowing effects such as spray paint, blur, effects and so on.
Same appearances in all systems, regardless of hardware or software.
What are the disadvantages of Vector graphics?
> Difficult to create realistic images
Only individual objects can be edited
Dependant on output hardware or software for appearance and quality.
What actually is a vector graphic?
Vector graphics are an alternative method of storing graphics which stores them as a description of the shapes in the image to enable them to be re-drawn for recreating that image rather than storing them as individual pixels.
What are the 7 steps of the traditional software development process called ‘The Waterfall Model’?
1) Analysis
2) Design
3) Implementation
4) Testing
5) Documentation
6) Evaluation
7) Maintenance
What is modular design?
When a problem is broken down to smaller sub-problems, the task becomes more manageable because each part can be worked on separately.
What are the advantages to modular design?
1) Different modules can be worked on simultaneously by separate programming teams.
2) Modules can be tested independently
3) A well written module may be able to be re-used in another application
What is agile programming?
Agile programming is a type of RAD (Rapid Access Development) suited to smaller projects. It’s designed to be as flexible as possible where the specification may change throughout the development process resulting in reduced development time and costs.
What are the benefits of the agile method?
> Reduced development time
Increased responsiveness to changing circumstances;
More reduced costs due to the efficiency of using small groups of developers.
What is an emulator?
An emulator is a bit of software which replicates the function of one computer system on another. Emulators may be used to allow software designed for a computer system which is no longer manufactured to run on a modern machine.
What are the benefits of cache memory?
> It can reduce the time needed for a fetch-execute cycle as it is much closer to access than backing storage.
It helps improve the computers performance as cache memory is used to store frequently/recently used instructions and information
