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Computer science A level > Hardware and software - 100 - 107 > Flashcards

Hardware and software - 100 - 107 Flashcards

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1
Q

meaning of hardware

A

any physical parts of a computer

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2
Q

what is software

A

programs that are run by the computer

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3
Q

examples of internal and external hardware

A

internal - Motherboards, hard drives, RAM

external - mouse, printers, webcam

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4
Q

what is system software

A

software that is used in the management of a computer system

  • software that manages the hardware and application programs of the computer
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5
Q

what is application software

A

programs that allow a user to carry out a specific task, eg spreadsheet software or web browser, word processor

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6
Q

examples of operating systems

A

Windows,IOS, Linux

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7
Q

examples of utility programs

A

virus checkers, firewalls, device drivers

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8
Q

examples of translators

A

compilers
assemblers
interpreters

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9
Q

why might one application be recommended over another

A
  • speed
  • cost
  • hardware
  • memory requirements
  • compatibility with device
  • convenience
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10
Q

what are utility softwares

A

system software designed to optimise the performance of the computer or perform specific tasks

  • eg antivirus, programs that help detect and remove malicious programs
  • disk defragmentation
  • file managers
  • firewalls
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11
Q

what is a translator

A

any program that converts source code into machine code

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12
Q

what are the different types of translators

A
  • compilers
  • interpreters
  • assemblers
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13
Q

what do assemblers do

A

they convert low level assembly languages directly into machine code

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14
Q

what do compilers and interpreters do

A

they convert high level programming languages into object code (compilers) or machine code (interpreter)
- each line of code written by a programmer translates into many lines of binary code

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15
Q

difference between interpreters and compilers

A
  • interpreters take one line of high language programming code and convert it directly into machine code and then run it
  • compilers takes the entire program from start to finish and first converts it into object code, then distributes to anyone with a compatible system
  • compiler produces object code, interpreter doesnt produce object code
  • a compiler will not produce executable code if an error is encountered, interpreted code will run the program up to the first error
  • you dont always need a compiler to execute a compiled program, when running interpreted code, the interpreter needs to be present
  • once compiled, source code is no longer to run the program, an interpreter always needs source code at runtime
  • compiled code can only be executed on a machine with the same processor type, interpreted code is more portable
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16
Q

advantages of interpreters

A
  • useful when writing programs as there is no need for lengthy, time consuming recompilation every time an error is found
  • makes it easier to partially test and debug programs
  • a program run using an interpreter can execute on a computer with any type of processor
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17
Q

disadvantages of interpreter

A

-program may run slower because each statement has to be translated into machine code each time it is encountered

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18
Q

advantages of compilers

A
  • compiled object code will run faster than interpreted code
  • generated object code is kept on disk, it can be run when needed without needing to recompile it
  • the object code can be distributed to others and will execute without the presence of the compiler
  • object code is relatively secure, hard to read it and work out what the source code wouldve been
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19
Q

what are libraries

A

pre compiled, pre tested sets of code that can be run when needed, that developers can reuse to perform common tasks

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20
Q

uses of libraries

A
  • data manipulation
  • math functions
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21
Q

What is an operating system?

A

a program or set of programs that manages the operations of the computer for the user

22
Q

purposes of operating systems

A
  • to handle interrupts when an interrupt occurs
  • to determine what areas of memory are used for what purpose
  • installation of new software
  • manages communication between processes and I/O devices
  • to decide which processed to carry out when
23
Q

Describe the chain from user to hardware

A

User, application, operating system, hardware

24
Q

what are translators

A
  • a term that refers to any software that takes code which has been written by a programmer then converts it into machine specific binary code
25
Q

what do interpreters do

A

they take a line of source code, translate it then take it to the CPU to be wxecuted

26
Q

what do compilers do

A

takes the entire source code, translates it completely, then by the end of the process, throws out the machine code

27
Q

what is intermediate code

A

a generic “half way” standard language between high-level programming languages and machine code which can then be translated to computer specific machine code eg bytecode

28
Q

what is the intermediate code used for

A

to run on a virtual machine

29
Q

what does the virtual machine do

A

performs the job of taking generic intermediate code and translating it into specific machine code

30
Q

benefits of byte code

A
  • can send it and distribute it to whoever u like
  • acts as a security layer between your computer and the program
  • universally agreed standard code, can be read by everyone
  • you can achieve platform independence, eg any computer that runs java programs has a JVM
31
Q

what do windows JVM, Linux JVM etc do

A
  • translates byte code into machine code
32
Q

what is general purpose software

A

a type of application software that can be used for many different purposes

33
Q

what are special purpose software

A

a type of application software that performs a specific task or set of tasks

34
Q

why might a company buy a bespoke software

A
  • will satisfy their particular requirements
  • will be able to be installed immediately
  • likely to be well documented, well tested and bug free
  • better scalability
35
Q

how does an operating system disguise from the user

A

via the application programming interface
API

36
Q

what is virtual memory

A

when the RAM isn’t big enough, so a hard disk is used as an extension of memory

37
Q

what is multitasking

A

the processor carrying out several tasks simultaneously

38
Q

what is the scheduler

A

the operating system module responsible for making sure the processor time is used as efficiently as possible

39
Q

objectives of the scheduler

A
  • maximise throughout
  • be fair to all users on a multi - user system
  • provide acceptable response time to all users
  • ensure hardware resources are kept as busy as possible
40
Q

what is the operand

A
  • the data to be operated on
  • the address where the data is held
41
Q

why is machine code considered low level

A
  • because it is directly executed by the CPU and consists of binary instructions (1s and 0s) that the hardware understands
42
Q

what is source code

A

the input to the translator

43
Q

what is object code

A

the output code which is executable

44
Q

what are compilers

A

a program that converts high level language such as c# into object code

45
Q

object code for compilers can be….

A

saved and run whenever needed without the presence of the compiler

46
Q

what is bytecode

A

the result of combining compiling and interpreting

  • an intermediate code that is more abstract than machine code but designed to be executed by a virtual machine
47
Q

when would it be appropriate to use a compiler

A

when a program is to be run regularly/frequently
- when the object code produced by the compiler is going to be sold to users outside the company that produced the software

48
Q

What do virtual machines do

A

they execute bytecode by interpreting or compiling it into machine code, allowing programs to run on any platform with a VM, making it platform-independent.

49
Q

disadvantages of compilers

A

if an error is found, the whole code needs to be recompiled

50
Q

when would an interpreter be used

A

Interactive Coding: For quick testing and prototyping, like in Python, where code can be written and executed line by line in an interactive shell.
- in a student environment where students are learning code, as they can test parts of a program before coding it all

51
Q
A

Computer science A level (29 decks)

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