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AQA Computer Science Alevel > (P2) Fundamentals of Computer Systems > Flashcards

(P2) Fundamentals of Computer Systems Flashcards

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1
Q

What is hardware?
Include examples.

A

Hardware is the physical components of a computer system. It includes both internal components like a hard drive and external components like a speaker.

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2
Q

What is software?
Include examples.

A

Software is non-physical computer programs, which are a set of instructions that tell the computer what to do. Examples include: system software and application software

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3
Q

What is the relationship between hardware and software?

A

They work together to produce a useful output and form a computer system. The most powerful hardware is useless unless it has software to run on it. The most useful software is useless unless it has hardware to run on.

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4
Q

Describe the difference between application software and system software.
Include examples.

A

Application software: Performs user-oriented tasks, e.g. word processor.
System software: Used in the management of a computer system, e.g. providing a virtual machine.

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5
Q

What are the three categories that software falls into?

A

System software, application software and utilities.

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6
Q

List 5 types of application software.

A

Desktop publishing
Multimedia software
Database management software
Graphic manipulation software
Presentation software

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7
Q

List 7 features of an operating system.

A

Managing the processor.
Managing the memory.
Handling external peripherals.
Utility programs.
Networking.
Security.
Providing a user interface.

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8
Q

Give two examples of how an operating system manages the processor.

A

Deciding which process to execute next.
Handling interrupts during the running process.

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9
Q

Give three examples of how the operating system manages memory.

A

Loading programs.
Reusing memory when programs close.
Using virtual memory to compensate for a lack of RAM.

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10
Q

Give two examples of how the operating system handles peripherals

A

Dealing with input/output requests.
Using device drivers to communicate with hardware.

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11
Q

Give eight examples of the operating system’s utility programs.

A

File manager.
Anti-virus.
Defragmenter.
Encryption.
File compression.
Installers.
Clipboard manager.
System monitor.

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12
Q

Give an example of the operating system providing networking.

A

Interfacing with other computers via cable and Wi-Fi.

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13
Q

Give two examples of how the operating system provides security.

A

Handling logins with username and passwords.
Preventing access to unauthorised files.

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14
Q

Give three examples of the operating system providing a user interface.

A

Virtual machine.
Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers.
Touch gestures.

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15
Q

Describe what utilities are.

A

Utility programs are used for completing housekeeping and maintainence tasks in a computer.

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16
Q

Defintion of interpreter.

A

Takes one line of code, translates it and then runs it right away.

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17
Q

Defintion of a compiler.

A

Takes source code and translates it all into object code before allowing it to run.

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18
Q

Definition of an assembler.

A

Translates a program written in assembly language into machine code.

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19
Q

What is the purpose of antivirus programs?

A

Helps to detect and remove malicious programs, which have often been designed to harm a computer in some way

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20
Q

What is the purpose of disk defragmenters?

A

Over time, files can become split up and spread apart, making retrieval of files slower. This software helps to consolidate the parts of the files back together.

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21
Q

What is the purpose of compression utilities?

A

Reduces the amount of space that information takes up on a storage device.

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22
Q

What is the purpose of file managers?

A

Allows folder and files to be created, moved, copied, deleted and renamed.

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23
Q

What is the purpose of backup utilities?

A

Provides a way to recover data when the original gets lost, deleted or corrupted.

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24
Q

What are the four factors that affect the popularity of a software?

A

Speed, cost, hardware and memory requirement.

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25
Q

List the four layer of a computer system in order.

A

User, application, operating system, and hardware.

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26
Q

Does the user ever interact with the operating system?

A

No, the operating system provides a user interface, but the user is interacting with applications and utilities.

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27
Q

Describe a function of the operating system. (User)

A

Provides a user interface by using a virtual machine to hide complexities from the user.

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28
Q

Describe a function of the operating system. (Process)

A

Process management, in which the operating system decides which process to carry out.

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29
Q

Describe a function of the operating system. (Memory)

A

Memory management, in which the operating system moves data in and out of RAM.

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30
Q

Describe a function of the operating system. (I/O)

A

Manages I/O devices, in which the operating system manages communication between processes and I/O devices.

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31
Q

Describe a function of the operating system. (Disk)

A

Disk defragmention, in which the operating system determines where on a device to save a file.

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32
Q

What are three types of translators?

A

Interpreter, compiler and assembler.

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33
Q

State three features of procedural programming.

A

Statements grouped together in self-contained blocks are called procedures and functions.
Procedures have their own variable inaccessible from outside the procedure.
The logic of the program is expressed in a series of procedural calls.

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34
Q

State three features of object-orientated peogramming.

A

Programmers can design self-contained objects.
Each object contains both methods and the data being processed.
Objects can be easily reused and inherited without having to rewrite.

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35
Q

State three features of assembly programming.

A

Has a one-to-one relationship with machine code.
Use mnemonics to represent specifix set of machine code.
Specific to a processor.

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36
Q

Give three examples of procedural programming?

A

Pascal, Visual Basic and Python.

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37
Q

Give three examples of object-orientated programming.

A

C++, Delphi, Java.

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38
Q

Another name for one-to-one languages.

A

Assembly code.

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39
Q

What was the first coding language made?

A

Fortran.

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40
Q

List seven key features of procedural programming.

A

Shared libraries.
Pre-defined functions.
Local variables.
Global variables.
Parameter passing.
Modularity.
Procedures.

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41
Q

Defintion of modularity.

A

The concept of separating the functionality of a program into individual, interchangeable blocks, each designed to carry out a single task.

42
Q

Why is modularity important?

A

Allows for easier maintenance, testing and debugging of code.

43
Q

What is a pre-defined function?

A

A pre-written function within a programming language.

44
Q

Why are pre-defined functions important?

A

Saves programmers time.

45
Q

What are local variables?

A

A variable that can only be accessed within the specific module it was written in.

46
Q

What is a global variable?

A

A variable that can be viewed throughout the entire program and used by all modules.
Defined outside any subroutines.

47
Q

What is parameter passing?

A

Allows variable values to be passed into procedures and functions for use in those blocks of code.

48
Q

What is a procedure?

A

When a program contains procedures, it follows each one systematically. The program does what it is told in the order set by the programmer.

49
Q

What are programming libraries?

A

A collection of pre-built code, routines, sub-routines, classes, and values that can be used at any time by the program and its users.

50
Q

Explain why a compiler is used to produced the final version of a computer system.

A

Source code cannot be accessed by users.
Users do not need programming environment.
Program will executed quicker.

51
Q

Explain why programs written ina scripting language for web browser purposes are interpreted rather than compiled.

A

Can’t know what type of processor a user will have.
Programs using an interpreter can execute on a computer with any type of processor.

52
Q

What are the four pillars of object-orientated programming?

A

Encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism and abstraction.

53
Q

Another name for intermediate code.

A

Bytecode.

54
Q

Describe the role of a translator.

A

Translators translate high-level languages into machine code.

55
Q

Describe a situation in which you would use a compiler.

A

When the program needs to be executed multiple times and execution time is crucial.

56
Q

Describe a situation in which you would use an interpreter.

A

Situations where the program needs to be executed on different platforms without recompiling it for each platform.

57
Q

What is the symbol for AND?

A

A dot.

58
Q

What is the symbol for OR?

A

+

59
Q

What is the symbol for NOT?

A

A line.

60
Q

What is a half adder?

A

Made up of an AND and XOR gate.
Two inputs and two outputs.
Two inputs are what you are adding together.
Two outputs are the result and carry-on.

61
Q

In a half adder, which gate does the digit come out from?

A

XOR.

62
Q

In a half adder, which gate does the carry come out from?

A

AND gate.

63
Q

What is a full adder?

A

Two half adders connected together.
Three inputs and two outputs.
Inputs are the two values added together with the carry-on.
Outputs are digit and carry-on.

64
Q

Why are extra OR gates needed when connecting half adders?

A

To take the carry-on from the half adder circuit to become the carry-on in the next half adder.

65
Q

What is a D type flip flop?

A

Digital circuit that can be used as a memory unit for storing the value of a single bit.

66
Q

Describe a D type flip flop.

A

It has two inputs: Control input and clock pulse. Everytime the clock is at the start of a clock pulse, the output is set to whatever the current value of D is.

67
Q

Describe how a D type flip flop works.

A

When the pulse is at a rising edge, the output will be set to whatever D is.

68
Q

List the four steps to De Morgan’s law.

A

Change OR to AND (or vice versa).
NOT the terms on either side.
NOT everything that has changed.
Cancel double negatations.

69
Q

Another word for NOT.

A

Negation.

70
Q

Another word for AND.

A

Conjunction.

71
Q

Another word for OR.

A

Disjunction.

72
Q

Defintion of operating system.

A

A set of programs managing the operation of the computer that is loaded into RAM every time the computer is turned on.

73
Q

What is resource management?

A

The collective efficient management of the available hardware and software to optimise the performance of the computer system.

74
Q

What is scheduling?

A

Allocating processor time to each application to ensure processor time is used efficiently when multitasking.

75
Q

What is an assembly language?

A

A low-level programming language consisting of a set of mnemonic instructions that directly correspond to the processor architecture’s machine code instruction set.

76
Q

What is a high-level language?

A

Program that is easy for humans to read. It has a one-to-many relationship.

77
Q

What is a low-level language?

A

Programming language that is closer to a computer’s instruction set. It has a one-to-one relationship. Assembly and machine code are examples of low-level languages.

78
Q

What is machine code?

A

A low-level language written in binary that is directly understood by the CPU.

79
Q

What is bytecode?

A

An intermediate instruction set used to write the final output of some compilerd, since it can be executed on any computer by a virtual machine.

80
Q

Give 2 examples of something that is both hardware and software.

A

Wireless keyboard.
Wireless router.

81
Q

What are the three categories of system software?

A

Utilities.
Translators.
Libraries.

82
Q

What are interrupts?

A

Interrupts are signals sent to the processor when an important event occurs.

83
Q

True or false: Compilers are platform specific.

A

True.

84
Q

State a difference between a compiler and interpreter. (Previous)

A

Compiler: Checks source for errors line by line before translating.
Interpreter: Translation begins immediately.

85
Q

State a difference between a compiler and interpreter. (Code)

A

Compiler: The entire source code is translated at once.
Interpreter: Each line is checked for errors, and then translated sequentially.

86
Q

State a difference between a compiler and interpreter. (Source code)

A

Compiler: No need for source code or compiler to be present when the translated code is executed.
Interpreter: Both source code and intepreter must be present when the program is executed.

87
Q

State a difference between a compiler and interpreter. (Protection)

A

Compiler: Protects the source code from extraction.
Interpreter: Offers little protection of source code.

88
Q

How is intermediate code translated into machine code?

A

Virtual machine.

89
Q

Describe a clock signal.

A

Generated by the computer and alternates between 0s and 1s at a set frequency.

90
Q

Desrcibe the role of libraries.

A

Contain useful functions that are frequently used by a program.

91
Q

Explain the general purpose of a D type flip flop.

A

Circuit that can be used to store the value of a single binary digit.

92
Q

What is the clock pulse in a D type flip flop used for?

A

To synchronise the gates output at a particular time.

93
Q

Name 3 advantages of assembly code.

A

Same efficiency of execution as machine code due to its one-to-one nature.
Can produce precise, locally optimised, and efficient code.
Direct access to system level features without the need to go through a software interface.

94
Q

Give 3 disadvantages of assembly code.

A

Machine dependant.
Code produced is very difficult to port.
Finding programmers capable of writing efficiently im assembly is hard.

95
Q

Describe how a compiler works.

A

The compiler takes the source code plus any libraries and translates it into intermediate code.
A virtual machine then translates the intermediate code into machine code.

96
Q

What is a linker?

A

A linker is a utility program that takes the object files, produced by the assembler and compiler to join them into a single executable file.

97
Q

What is a loader?

A

A loader is a component of the operating system that is accountable for loading programs and libraries.

98
Q

What is the role of a word processor?

A

Writing text based documents.

99
Q

What is the role of desktop publishing?

A

Making more creative paper based products.

100
Q

What is the role of spreadsheet software?

A

Used for numerical calculations and financial modelling.

101
Q

What is the role of database management software?

A

Sorting, storing and managing large collections of related data.

102
Q

Describe the disadvantages of machine code.

A

Very long and difficult for humans to understand. Prone to errors and difficult to debug.

AQA Computer Science Alevel (9 decks)

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