Paper 2 Computational logic

Question 1

Identify the number systems being described: Base 2 number system used by computers. Uses the digits 1 and 0 only.

Answer 1

Binary

Question 2

Identify the number systems being described: Base 16 number system. Uses digits 0–9 and A–F.

Answer 2

Hexadecimal

Question 3

Identify the number systems being described: Base 10 number system. The system we usually use to count.

Answer 3

Denary

Question 4

Explain why computer hardware mainly uses the binary number system.

Answer 4

Computers use binary - the digits 0 and 1 - to store data. The circuits in a computer’s processor are made up of billions of transistors . A transistor is a tiny switch that is activated by the electronic signals it receives. The digits 1 and 0 used in binary reflect the on and off states of a transistor

Question 5

Explain one reason a programmer might prefer to write in a lower-levelled language such as assembly.

Answer 5

Writing in mnemonics is easy for programmers because they are usually brief representations of the actual commands. They are quicker to write than binary, and it is easier to spot mistakes.
Used for developing code for specialist hardware, such as device drivers.