Lecture 1

Question 1

What is a computer?

Answer 1

An electronic device that performs computations and logical decisions under the control of computer programs.

Question 2

What are the two main components of a computer?

Answer 2

Hardware and Software.

Question 3

What is hardware?

Answer 3

The physical parts of a computer including internal and external components.

Question 4

What is software?

Answer 4

A set of programs that runs the computer and allows interaction with the hardware.

Question 5

What does the CPU consist of?

Answer 5

Control Unit and Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).

Question 6

What is the role of the Control Unit?

Answer 6

Directs the operation of the processor.

Question 7

What does the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) do?

Answer 7

Performs arithmetic calculations and logic decisions.

Question 8

What is RAM?

Answer 8

Random Access Memory that is volatile and allows data to be read and written.

Question 9

What is ROM?

Answer 9

Read-Only Memory that is non-volatile and stores permanent instructions.

Question 10

What is secondary storage?

Answer 10

Long-term storage devices like hard disks and flash disks, which do not directly interact with the CPU.

Question 11

What is the role of the Input/Output Unit?

Answer 11

It allows data input and output through devices such as a keyboard monitor and printer

Question 12

What is application software?

Answer 12

Software that helps accomplish specific tasks like Word or Excel.

Question 13

What is operating software?

Answer 13

Software that manages hardware resources and provides an environment for application software.

Question 14

What is machine language?

Answer 14

A binary language that is directly understood by computers but hard to write and machine-specific.

Question 15

What is assembly language?

Answer 15

A language using mnemonics that is easier to understand but still requires translation to machine code.

Question 16

What are high-level languages?

Answer 16

Languages like C and Java that are easy to understand, portable, and need a compiler ot translate to machine code.

Question 17

When was the C language developed?

Answer 17

C evolved from B and was implemented in 1972 at Bell Laboratories.

Question 18

What was C originally developed for?

Answer 18

C was developed to write the UNIX operating system kernel.

Question 19

Why is C still important today?

Answer 19

C is widely used in system programming, embedded systems, and real-time systems due to its performance and portability.

Question 20

What are the six phases of C program execution?

Answer 20

Editing, Preprocessing, Compiling, Linking, Loading, Execution

Question 21

What happens during the editing phase of a C program?

Answer 21

A C program is written and saved with a .c extension as the source code.

Question 22

What is preprocessing in C program execution?

Answer 22

The phase that handles # directives and generates the expanded source code file with a .i extension.

Question 23

What is the compiling phase of a C program?

Answer 23

The compiler translates the C program into machine-language code, generating an object file (.obj).

Question 24

What does the linker do in C program execution?

Answer 24

Links the object file with system libraries to create an executable file (.exe).

Question 25

What is the role of the loader in C program execution?

Answer 25

The loader transfers the executable file from the hard disk to main memory for execution.

Question 26

What happens in the execution phase of a C program?

Answer 26

The CPU executes the program’s instructions one at a time.

Question 27

Why is learning C useful for students?

Answer 27

It improves their resume, offers fast execution of programs, and allows low-level memory access via pointers.