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A-LEVEL COMP SCI > INPUT, OUTPUT AND STORAGE > Flashcards

INPUT, OUTPUT AND STORAGE Flashcards

1
Q

What is an input device?

A

any device that allows you to pass info from the outside world into a computer system

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2
Q

What are some examples of input devices?

A
  • keyboard
  • mouse
  • webcam
  • barcode scanner
  • microphone
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3
Q

What is an output device?

A

any device that can take data stored in digital form and convert it to another format that humans can process (eg: sound/images)

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4
Q

What are the 3 types of secondary storage?

A
  • magnetic drives
  • optical drives
  • solid state drives
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5
Q

What is a magnetic drive?

A
  • uses minute magnetic particles or ‘domains’ to store data.
  • hard disk is an example of a magnetic storage device. it contains several platters on a spindle, spinning at high speed, with read/write heads floating just above the surface.
  • another example of magnetic storage is a magnetic tape cartridge.
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6
Q

Advs of magnetic storage

A
  • huge capacity, offers up to several terabytes per device
  • low cost per gigabyte - magnetic tape is the cheapest, but hard disk is very low as well
  • hard Disk offers high speed data access
  • magnetic tape can hold its data for up to thirty years in the correct environment
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7
Q

Disadvs of magnetic storage

A
  • not as portable as other technologies. But external hard disks are commonly available, but they need to be treated carefully
  • slow due to moving parts
  • not robust due to moving parts
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8
Q

What is optical storage?

A
  • includes CD, DVD and Blu-ray disks.
  • a laser beam burns pits on to the surface of the optical disk. If a pit is present, this can represent a data bit being ‘1’ and if no pit is present, this can represent a data bit being ‘0’
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9
Q

Advs of optical storage

A
  • relatively cheap
  • very portable compared to hard disk
  • ideally sized for storing movies and videos
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10
Q

Disadvs of optical storage

A
  • low capacity
  • slow to write (burn) to and much slower than hard disk to access
  • easily scratched
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11
Q

What is solid state storage?

A
  • solid state media includes USB memory sticks, Solid State Drives and SDHC memory cards (as found in digital cameras)
  • solid state media hold data using electronic switches. If the switch is open, it represents a ‘1’, since it retains an electric charge. If it is closed, it represents a ‘0’. It is an electrical form of storage, unlike magnetic or optical media. The technology is called ‘Flash memory’
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12
Q

Advs of solid state storage

A
  • very portable in the form of SD memory cards and USB memory sticks
  • large capacity, especially in the form of a solid state drive
  • robust
  • very fast
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13
Q

Disadvs of solid state storage

A
  • expensive
  • limited number of read/write cycles
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14
Q

What should be considered when choosing the most suitable storage media?

A
  • capacity
  • speed
  • portability
  • durability
  • reliability
  • cost
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15
Q

What are the 2 types of primary storage?

A
  • RAM
  • ROM
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16
Q

What is RAM?

A
  • Random Access Memory
  • temporary storage of instructions and data
  • holds info being executed by processor
  • stores OS
17
Q

Is RAM volatile/non-volatile and what does this mean?

A
  • RAM is volatile
  • volatile memory is a type of memory that loses its data once power to the memory chip is switched off or interrupted
18
Q

What is ROM?

A
  • Read Only Memory
  • stores key instructions that must not be lost/overwritten (eg: bootstrap (computer start-up instructions)
19
Q

Is ROM volatile/non-volatile and what does this mean?

A
  • non-volatile
  • it keeps its data even when there is no power supply
20
Q

What is virtual storage/cloud storage?

A
  • the concept of storing and retrieving data over the internet in the cloud instead of on a storage device
  • can also refer to abstraction/separation of logical storage from physical storage
21
Q

Advs of virtual storage

A
  • data can be accessed at any time from any device as long as there is internet access
  • data can be easily shared without the need for removable media transfer
  • easier to collaborate
  • storage considered limitless from users POV
22
Q

Disadvs of virtual storage

A
  • can become quite expensive
  • if connectivity is poor, access times can be slow
  • no internet connection means no access to files
23
Q

When data is stored virtually where is it actually stored?

A

all data is actually stored on physical permanent storage media in a remote location

A-LEVEL COMP SCI (12 decks)

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