Hardware - wk3 & 4

Question 1

Define computer?

Answer 1

A device that accepts input, processes it, produces output and may have a storage facility.

Question 2

What is the input to output cycle?

Answer 2

User – input (Data) – Process (and sometimes stores) – output (info) – user.

Question 3

What are the forms of input?

Answer 3

• Data (characters, images and sound)
• Instructions from programs
• Commands (direct computer actions)
• User response (Questions such as save document?)

Question 4

What devices are used to create input?

Answer 4

• Keyboards (QWERTY, Devorak, ergonomic, virtual laser)
• Trackball (CAD, military, aircraft, gaming)
• Light pen (CRT monitors)
• Digital pens
• Bar code readers
• Touch screen (resistive and capacitative)
• Eyes

Question 5

Where is processing done in the computer?

Answer 5

The system unit. Here the motherboard communicates with other components.

Question 6

What is a bit?

Answer 6

A binary digit. 8 bits = 1 byte = 1 character.

Question 7

What is the CPU?

Answer 7

The central processing unit. This is a chip on which transistors and other wires form complex circuitry. It has a system clock which controls electrical pulses at a set rate, measured in Hertz.

Question 8

What does the control unit and ALU do?

Answer 8

The control unit fetches and decodes information. Between this and the ALU it registers. Then the ALU (arithmetic/logic unit) executes and stores the information.

Question 9

How are cycle times measured?

Answer 9

They are measured in mips (millions of instructions per second)

Question 10

What are the different types of cores/processors? (like cpu)

Answer 10

Duel and Quad core - only uses one chip but has more than 1 core.
Multi processor - more than 1 chip

Question 11

What is word size and bus width?

Answer 11

Word size - (word length) the number of bits the CPU can process at once. Modern computers have 64 bits.
Bus width - transfers the data, must be 64 bits or more, the more the better.

Question 12

What are the types of memory?

Answer 12

• Registers: tiny and fast in the CPU
• Cache: 1-3 (on/near the CPU)
• RAM: random access memory in MB or GB

Question 13

In what order does memory recall work?

Answer 13

Registers, cache, RAM, hardware.

Question 14

What is volatile and non volatile memory?

Answer 14

Volatile: no power=no memory (e.g. registers, cache, RAM)

Non volatile: works without power, such as the ROM power button.

Question 15

What are the factors that influence computer performance?

Answer 15

Machine cycle times (mips)
System clock (Hz)
CPu word size (bits)
Bus width (bits)
Amount and type of memory.

Question 16

What are the main types of monitors?

Answer 16

LCD (liquid crystal display) and OLED (organic light emitting diode)

Question 17

What are the two forms of output?

Answer 17

Soft copy and hard copy.

Question 18

What are the two ways graphics cards are attached to a computer?

Answer 18

They can be integrated or plugged into the motherboard. Some of them have their own microprocessor such as a GPU

Question 19

Define pixel?

Answer 19

Pixels are the smallest screen display element. The number of these is the resolution. Aspect ratio = the height to width ratio.

Question 20

What are the types of printers and how do they work?

Answer 20

Inkjet: printers spray tiny droplets of ink
through holes to form images on paper.
Laser: use an electrostatic process to force ink onto page. To keep the image there it is then “burnt” onto the page.
Plotter: large projects and use pen or inkjet.

Question 21

How does secondary storage work?

Answer 21

The main device is a disk inside a hard drive, the + and - on disk represent 0 and 1. These include disks and USB’s etc. The advantage is that it is more permanent.