Fundamentals Of Computer Systems

Question 1

Hardware

Answer 1

Physical component of a computer system

Question 2

Software

Answer 2

Instructions that tell a computer what to do

Question 3

System software

Answer 3

Allows the user to operate a computer

Question 4

Application software

Answer 4

Used to carry out tasks that are user oriented

Question 5

Example of system software

Answer 5

Compiler

Operation system

Question 6

Example of application software

Answer 6

Web browsers

Database software

Question 7

Role of an operating system

Answer 7

To hide the complexities of the hardware from the user

Question 8

What does the OS handle

Answer 8

Resource management
Managing hardware to allocate processors
Memories
I/O devices

Question 9

What are Low level languages considered to be

Answer 9

Machine code

Assembly language

Question 10

Machine code language

Answer 10

Written in binary and can be executed without needing to be translated

Question 11

Assembly Language code

Answer 11

Written using mnemonics and needs to be translated in order to be executed

Question 12

What does high level language include

Answer 12

Imperative high level language

Question 13

Advantage and disadvantage of machine code

Answer 13

Doesn’t need a translator to translate code

Harder to find or amend errors and all the memory addresses have to be remembered which leads to program errors

Question 14

Advantage and disadvantage of using assembly language code

Answer 14

Easier to correct errors and amend instructions
More compact

It’s machine dependant and you must directly control the exact instruction sequences the processor executes

Question 15

Imperative high level language code

Answer 15

When instructions are executed in a programmer defined order

Question 16

Interpreter

Answer 16

A program translating high level language by reading each statement in the source code and immediately performing the action

Question 17

Compiler

Answer 17

A program that translates high level language into machine code by translating all of the code

Question 18

Assembler

Answer 18

Program that translates from code written in assembly language code into machine code

Question 19

Difference between interpreter and compilation

Answer 19

compiler - produces machine code and translates the whole source code into machine code

Interpreter - does not produce any object code and translates the source code one at a time into machine code

Question 20

Difference between source code and object code

Answer 20

Source code - written in high level language code and east to modify and read
Object code - written in machine language and difficult to read and modify

Question 21

relationship between high-level language and low level language

Answer 21

high level languages require the use of a compiler of an interpreter for their translation into the machine code.

low level language requires an assembler for directly translating the instructions of the machine language.