The big picture

Question 1

What is a computer system

Answer 1

A dynamic entity and that is designed to solve problems and interact with its envirment.

Question 2

What is hardware

Answer 2

Hardware The physical elements of a

computing system

Question 3

What is software?

Answer 3

The programs that provide the

instructions for a computer to execute

Question 4

What is abstraction?

Answer 4

The process of removing unnecessary complicated details, and leaving behind all the relevant data to focus on.

Question 5

What are the abstract layers of computing systems?

Answer 5

Communications layer
Applications
.Operating System
.Programming
.Information Layer

Question 6

What is the brief history of computing, and who is significant?

Answer 6

• Earliest computers could be coincided to be stone henge as this is widely coincided to be a calendar or some sort of astrological calculator. The abacus from the 16th centuray is also conciderd to be an early comptuing device in which would record numbers for basic arithmetic.
• In 17th Centuray Pascal created a machine constructed from gears, that could perform basic whole number addition and subtraction.
• In the 18th century Jacob Jacquard created a loom that would take in punch cards that would determine what colors and threads would be used for a pattern.
• In 19th century Charles Babbage designed the analytical machine, which was the first idea of computer memory and was the foundation f the modern computer. However this was never built as it was too advanced for the time.
• Ada Lovelace is credited to being the first programmer, and helped improve on the design of the analytical machine. She was also the first person to use the idea of repeating instructions, or a ‘loop’.
• In 1948 Alan Turing created the foundation for the theory of computation, and created a test for AI.
• John von NUeman created several machines such as the ENiac which was the first commercial machine.

Question 7

First generation of computers?

Answer 7

1951-1959

• Vacuum Tubes were used to store information, however these were unreliable, large and generated lots of heat.
• Magnetic drums that rotated under a read/write head.
• Card readers and magnetic tape drives. These were the first kind of auxiliary device.

Question 8

Second generation of computers?

Answer 8

1959-1965

• Transistors used, which were smaller, cheaper, more reliable, generated far less heat
• Magnetic cores used as memory which replaced the drums, allowing information to be available instantly.
• Magnetic disk used as auxiliary, as data could be accessed directly

Question 9

Third generation of computers?

Answer 9

1965-1971
Integrated circuit boards replaced circuit boards, which were quicker, cheaper and more reliable.
-transistors now used for memory.
-Terminal with I/O systems now in use.

Question 10

Fourth generation of computers?

Answer 10

1971-modern

• Large scale integration chips and great chip advances
• Personal computers, markets and workstations.
• Most people own many computers such as phones and laptops.

Question 11

What is parallel processing?

Answer 11

Computers rely on interconnected central processing

and/or memory units that increase processing speed

Question 12

What is assembly language?

Answer 12

Programs written using mnemonics, which were translated

into machine language