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Computer Science GCSE OCR > Theory Flashcards Paper 1 > Flashcards

Theory Flashcards Paper 1

1
Q

What is the hardware within a computer system or smartphone which carries out the instructions of a computer program ?

A

The CPU

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2
Q

What does CPU stand for?

A

Central processing unit

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3
Q

When talking about a CPU what does ALU stand for?

A

Arithmetic logic unit

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4
Q

What are the 3 main components of a CPU

A

Control unit, Memory unit and ALU

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5
Q

When talking about a CPU what is the function of the ALU?

A

performs arithmetic and logical operations

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6
Q

When talking about a CPU what is the function of the control unit?

A

extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them

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7
Q

Complete the cycle of the CPU – Fetch…..

A

Fetch, decode, execute

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8
Q

Where does the CPU fetch instructions from

A

Main memory (RAM)

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9
Q

When talking about a computer system what is memory?

A

A temporary storage

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10
Q

What 3 things might you find stored in Memory?

A

Instructions, Commands and the operating system

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11
Q

What does RAM stand for?

A

Random Access Memory

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12
Q

What does ROM stand for?

A

Read Only Memory

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13
Q

What is stored in ROM?

A

The boot files for the computer

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14
Q

Name 2 differences between RAM and ROM?

A

Ram is Volatile, ROM is non Volatile, contents of RAM change frequently, contents of ROM never change

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15
Q

What is the type of memory used in the main memory ?

A

RAM

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16
Q

When referring to computer memory what is meant by Random Access?

A

You can write anywhere in that memory space at any time

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17
Q

When discussing memory what is meant by volatile?

A

It requires power and loses its content if there is no power

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18
Q

Is RAM volatile or non-volatile?

A

Volatile

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19
Q

What is virtual memory?

A

A part of the hard drive used as memory when memory has become full

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20
Q

When would you need to use virtual memory?

A

If memory is full. When you want to open a program that doesn’t fit in remaining memory space.

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21
Q

What does 3MGz mean?

A

It is the clockspeed of the computer, it can complete 3 million cycles per second

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22
Q

How does cache size affect the performance of a computer?

A

The larger the size of the cache, the more instructions can fit in it, the quicker the CPU can process the instructions

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23
Q

A computer has a quad core processor, what does this mean?

A

The computer has 4 separate cores, each capable of running cycles, so more cycles can be run simultaneously ge frequently, contents of ROM never change

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24
Q

How does having more RAM improve the performance of a computer?

A

It can load more programs and data at the same time

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25
Name the type of secondary storage that is built into a computer system
Hard disk drive, magnetic hard disk
26
Is a hard disk drive volatile or non volatile?
Non-volatile
27
What is optical storage?
CDs, DVDs
28
What does DVD stand for?
Digital video disc
29
Who might use Flash Memory and why?
Anyone who needs to transfer data from one place to another
30
What type of memory does a USB stick use?
Flash memory or Solid State memory
31
What does USB stand for?
Universal Serial Bus
32
Flash memory is also known as what?
Solid state memory
33
What does the SD stand for in SD card
Secure digital
34
What type of memory is used in smartphones and tablets?
Flash memory
35
What does the RW stand for in DVD-RW?
Re-writable
36
What is the difference between a DVD-R and a DVD-RW
DVD-R can only be written to once
37
What is a solid state drive?
A form of flash memory, portable storage that does not use magnetic tape like a HDD
38
What is cloud storage?
Online storage
39
What are some advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage
Advantages: Cheap; automatically backed up; secure, extendable, easily accessible Disadvantages: Relies on internet access, requires password access; speed depends upon the internet connection speed company policy, hacking, DPA,
40
What is an input device?
A device used to get data into the computer system
41
What is an output device?
A device that displays or communicates the processed data
42
Do input devices deal with analogue or digital data?
Analogue
43
Name a type of input device that could be used by someone who is blind
Braille keyboard, microphone (voice recognition)
44
What input devices would a central heating system use?
Temp sensor (thermometer), timer, dial, keypad
45
What am I: I am used to control wheelchairs and to remotely control lights, security cameras and robots. I am used in home entertainment systems like the XBOX and PS3.
Joystick – games controller
46
What type of device is a digital camera?
Input device
47
Name 2 features of a hard drive
Large capacity, fairly cheap, magnetic storage, not portable
48
Name 2 features of a CD-ROM
Small and portable, can be used on most devices, Read only so cannot be copied over, small capacity.
49
Name 2 features of a solid state drive
Very portable, good for carrying work.
50
Give an example of magnetic storage
Hard drive, magnetic tape
51
State 2 functions of an operating system
Provide a user interface. Provide a platform for applications to run. Perform memory management, perform file/disk management
52
Name 2 different operating systems
Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Ubuntu
53
Explain multi-tasking
Allows more than 1 process to run at the same time in order to maximize computer resources.
54
Name 2 utility programs and their uses
System cleanup - (Searches for and) deletes files/programs which are no longer used Automatic update - Checks on the (software manufacturer's site on the) Internet for newer versions of programs which are installed Disk defrag - cleanup the hard drive, move files, Anti Virus
55
Why would a company need custom written software?
If software does not exist to do the job the company wants. If the software that does exist doesn't do exactly what they need
56
What do we mean by Off the Shelf software?
Software that is available in shops
57
Give an example of off the shelf software
Excel, Access, Word etc
58
State two features of open source software
Is free to use, lots of people contribute to it, doesn't need a license
59
What is software?
Programs that run on the computer
60
Why do we use compression when sending files over the Internet ?
Reduce transmission times, save storage space
61
What type of software is needed for a computer to communicate with a device such as a printer
Device driver – driver software
62
ALU
Arithmetic Logic Unit performs logical operations and calculations
63
Accumulator
Store the intermediate results of these operations
64
Avg amount of data saved on the following | CD / USB / DVD / External drive/ Floppy Disc
``` CD Around 700MB USB - >2GB DVD - up to 4.7 GB External drive - over 128 GB Floppy disc- 800KB ```
65
Order these in cost order lowest to highest | CD / USB / DVD / External drive
CD DVD USB External drive
66
what is a NIC
Network Interface controller
67
what is peer to peer network
have no centralised management
68
What is Client server network
central server to deploy and manage security , backup , software
69
disadvantage of P2P network
One computer could slow down the whole network | Loss of one server will lose the network
70
TCP / IP
Point to point no loss of data between connects eg Internet (Transmission Control Protocol) -- port -- all
71
Pop3
Recevie email from Email server . Copy not saved on server (Post office protocol) port 110
72
STMP
Send Email from client to server and servers to server - port 25
73
Imap
Download email from server . server will hold a copy until user deletes
74
UDP
Just like TCP/IP but loss of packets is allowed. EG Youtube video (User Datagram Protocol)
75
HTTP / HTTPS
Internet web pages -- 80
76
FTP / FTPS
File transfer procotol -

Computer Science GCSE OCR (6 decks)

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