Module 1 Reading & Lectures

Question 1

Computer Program

Answer 1

the sequence of steps/instructions/decisions that are needed to fulfill a task. Tells the sequence of steps to the computer in minute detail.

Question 2

Hardware

Answer 2

The physical computer and peripheral devices (devices able to be attached to and used with a computer, although not an integral part of it).

Question 3

Computer

Answer 3

A machine that stores data (numbers, words, pictures), interacts with peripheral devices (such as the monitor, keyboard, the sound system, the printer), and executes programs.

Question 4

Programming

Answer 4

the act of designing and implementing computer programs

Question 5

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Answer 5

At the heart of the computer. Performs program control and data processing (AKA it carries out arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). It fetches data from external memory or devices and places processed data. Composed of several hundred million structural elements called transistors.

Question 6

Primary Storage

Answer 6

AKA memory (RAM/ROM). Made from memory chips: electronic circuits that can store data, provided they are supplied with electric power.

Question 7

Secondary Storage

Answer 7

Usually a hard disk, flash drives, CD/DVD drives. Provides slower and less expensive storage that persists without electricity.

Question 8

Hard Disk

Answer 8

A form of secondary storage. Consists of rotating platters, which are coated with a magnetic material, and read/write heads, which can detect and change the magnetic flux on the platters.

Question 9

How does a computer interact/work with memory (primary storage) and secondary storage?

Answer 9

The computer stores both data and programs. They are located in secondary storage and loaded into memory when the program starts. The program then updates the data in memory and writes the modified data back to secondary storage.

Question 10

How does the computer interact with a human user?

Answer 10

With peripheral devices (such as a monitor, keyboard, etc.)

Question 11

What is an output?

Answer 11

The information transmitted to the user with peripheral devices.

Question 12

What is an input?

Answer 12

The information the user enters into the computer by using peripheral devices.

Question 13

Network

Answer 13

A group of interconnected nodes or computing devices that exchange data and resources with each other. Through the network cabling, the computer can read data and programs from central storage locations or send data to other computers.

Question 14

The two components of a CPU

Answer 14

control unit and arithmetric logic unit

Question 15

What does the control unit do?

Answer 15

• Directs operation of the processor.
• Controls communication and co-ordination between input/output devices
• Reads and interprets instructions and determines the sequence for the processing data
• Provides timing and control signals

Question 16

What does the arithmetic logic unit do?

Answer 16

• Contains the circuitry to perform calculations and do comparisons
• It is the workhorse portion of the computer and its job is to do precisely what the control unit tells it to do.

Question 17

What is a simple way to envision primary memory?

Answer 17

As a table of cells, all the same size (one byte), each containing a unique address beginning with 0.

Question 18

How big is a gigabyte?

Answer 18

about 1 billion bytes

Question 19

What does executing a program look like?

Answer 19

• Program instructions and data (such as text, numbers, audio, or video) are stored in digital format.
• When a program is started, it is brought into memory, where the CPU can read it
• The CPU runs the program one instruction at a time (program may react to user input)
• The instructions and user input guide program execution (CPU reads data [including user input], modifies it, and writes it, back to memory/screen/secondary storage.

Question 20

High-level programming languages

Answer 20

Allows a programmer to specify the desired program actions at a high level, which are then translated into the more detailed instructions required by CPU

Question 21

What is Python?

Answer 21

Python is a portable and easy to learn and use langue. Designed to work with complex data.
* It has much cleaner syntax than other languages.
*offers availabilities of packages

Question 22

What are packages

Answer 22

Bundles of code that solve a particular problem domain

Question 23

Integrated development environment

Answer 23

where you can write and test your programs

Question 24

Text editor

Answer 24

a program for entering and modifying text such as a python program

Question 25

Case sensitivity

Answer 25

Python is case sensitive, must be able to distinguish between lowercase and uppercase letters

Question 26

Python interpreter

Answer 26

reads your program and executes all of its steps

Question 27

Source code

Answer 27

Python instructions that you wrote. Instructions in a programming language that need to be translated before execution on a computer

Question 28

Byte Codes

Answer 28

very simple instructions understood by the virtual machine

Question 29

comment

Answer 29

Begin with # and provides information to the programmer

Question 30

statement

Answer 30

Any instruction written in the source code and executed by the Python interpreter

Question 31

function

Answer 31

a collection of programming instructions that carry out a particular task.

Question 32

How is a function called/used?

Answer 32

by specifying the function name and its arguments

Question 33

string

Answer 33

a sequence of characters enclosed in a pair of single or double quotes

Question 34

compile-time error

Answer 34

a violation of the programming language rules that is detected when the code is translated into the executable form (such as syntax error)

Question 35

compilation

Answer 35

the process of transforming python instructions into an executable form

Question 36

syntax error

Answer 36

a form of compile-time error, an instruction that does not follow the programming language rules and is rejected by the compiler

Question 37

Exception

Answer 37

(run-time) errors detected during execution. Prevents the program from continuing normally. When such a condition occurs, an object of the exception class is raised.

Question 38

When does an exception occur?

Answer 38

When an instruction is syntactically correct, but impossible to perform

Question 39

Run time error

Answer 39

any error that occurs when the program compiles and runs, but produces unexpected results.

Question 40

Logic error

Answer 40

A form of run-time error that is a syntactically correct program that causes it to act differently from its specification.

Question 41

Pseudo code

Answer 41

an informal description of a sequence of steps for solving a problem.
* no strict rules, b/c read by humans not computers.

Question 42

Algorithm

Answer 42

a sequence steps for solving a problem that is :
1. Unambiguous: precise instructions. No room for guessing or opinion
2. Executable: it can be carried out
3. Terminating: comes to an end

Question 43

Why is the existence of an algorithm an essential prerequisite for programming a computer.

Answer 43

You need to first discover and describe an algorithm for the task that you want to solve before you start programming.

Question 44

where is source code stored

Answer 44

Usually in a file

Question 45

compiler

Answer 45

a program that translates code in a high-level language (such as python) to machine instructions (such as byte code for the python virtual machine)

Question 46

python shell

Answer 46

a user interface that can be used to interact with the python interpreter