General

Question 1

Name the FIVE main functions of a computer and define each of them.

Answer 1

1) Inputting - feeding data to a computer
2) Processing - data being processed and converted into meaningful information
3) Outputting - displaying or physically producing processed data/ instructions
4) Storing - preprocessed or processed data being stored temporarily/ permanently, for later use
5) Controlling - the control of the flow of data

Question 2

What are the FOUR main units of a computer?

Answer 2

1) Input unit - keyboard, mouse, scanner, pendrives
2) Output unit - printer, monitor, plotter, speaker
3) Storage unit - primary/secondary
4) Central Processing unit - components, architecture

Question 3

Name SIX characteristics of a computer. Explain.

Answer 3

1) Speed - A computer can do calculations at extremely high speeds compared to humans.
2) Accuracy - A computer hardly makes any computational errors. The accuracy rate of a computer is about 99.99%.
3) Reliability - As a computer has no thoughts or feelings, it will perform the given tasks in an unbiased and accurate manner.
4) Diligence - Since computers don’t get tired, they can work consistently for longer periods of time compared to humans.
5) Automation - A computer can be automated to perform certain tasks. They will deliver the expected outcome each time without needing repeated instructions.
6) Memory - As computers have hardware memory units data can be stored and retrieved accurately to be used when needed.

Question 4

What is an Operating System?

Answer 4

An OS is the bridge that connects computer hardware and software. It will manage memory and processes providing a platform on which software applications can be installed and executed conveniently and efficiently by the user.

Question 5

01) ASCII

Answer 5

01) American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
a 7-bit character set containing 128 characters.
It contains the numbers from 0-9, the upper and lower case English letters from A to Z, and some special characters.

Question 6

02) EBCDIC

Answer 6

02) Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code.

8-bit, 256 characters.

Question 7

UNICODE

Answer 7

universal character encoding standard.
assigns a code to every character and symbol in every language in the world.
143,859 as of March 2020.