unit 1 Flashcards
1
Q
what is a computer
A
electronic device capable of taking an input, processing, data, storing information and providing an output
2
Q
what is data
A
raw unprocessed information
3
Q
what is information
A
data people understand
4
Q
what is a microprocessor
A
an integrated circuit that contains a central processing unit (CPU). It is embedded into devices to help them carry out tasks.
5
Q
what is a microprocessor responsible for
A
executing instructions
6
Q
what type of devices are microprocessors used in
A
central heating systems, security alarm systems, home entertainment
7
Q
what is a desktop computer designed to do
A
stay in one place
8
Q
what does a desktop computer consist of
A
monitor, computer, keyboard and mouse
9
Q
what type of computers are upgradable
A
desktop
10
Q
what are 3 used of desktop computers
A
office , education, gaming/ entertainment
11
Q
what is a laptop computer designed to be
A
portable
12
Q
why is a laptop computer less powerful than desktop
A
power constraints due to size
13
Q
are laptops easily upgradable
A
no
14
Q
advantages of laptops
A
portable, access to internet and resources anywhere, multi functioning
15
Q
disadvantages of laptops
A
hard to upgrade, less powerful, shorter battery life
16
Q
how do mobile phones transmit information
A
radio waves
17
Q
features of mobile phones
A
portable,light weight
18
Q
what does a SIM card do in a mobile phone
A
link the devices to a network carrier, allowing them to make phone calls and send messages
19
Q
feature of SMS communication
A
quick communication, messages stored and can be read at any time
20
Q
featured of phone calles
A
simple voice communication, requires cellular reception
21
Q
features of voice over internet protocol
A
audio and visual communication via the internet, requires extra apps installed on devices
22
Q
features of accessing the internet
A
requires cellular reception to access on the move,
23
Q
how do mobile payments transfer data
A
NFC
24
Q
what would specialist phones be used for
A
senior phones, childrens phones, ruggard phones
25
features of phones for old people
larger buttons, easy to read display, simplified user interface
26
features of childrens phones
brightly coloured, robust, child friendly interface, parental controls, limited access
27
features of rugged phones
designed for tough enviroments, thick screens, rugged outer casing, build to withstand: water submersion, dust , extreme temperatures, drops
28
what type of device is a tablet
general purpose
29
order tablet, smartphone and laptop in order of power
laptop, tablet, smartphone
30
what do cameras and camcorders do
use light sensors to capture images formed by light passing through a lens
31
what does a lense do
allows light to pass through without defects
32
what does an image processor do
compensate for poor lighting
33
what do sensors do in a camera
capture detail
34
features of a games console
powerful processors and graphics for high quality smooth gameplay, online capability, controllers
35
what are home entertainment systems
hubs for connecting audio and video devices. They connect TVs, speakers and media players together, the receiver processes audio and video signals, provides an immersive experience
36
what are media players
devices for multimedia play back
37
features of media players
connects to TVs or speakers, plays different media (blu-ray DVD), portable media
38
what is a multifunctional device
designed to carry out a wide range of tasks. They combine functions that would usually be separate.
39
3 multi functional devices
smart phones, printers, smartTVs
40
what can smartphones do
communication, gaming, photography, media playback
41
what does a multi functional printer do
printing, copying and scanning in one device.
42
what do smart TVs do
watch TV, connect to the internet, stream content.
43
what is convergence
merging of technologies that would usually be separate
44
what is a mainframe computer
has huge processing power and data storage capabilities, built to handle large amounts of data and carry out complex calculations.
45
what are mainframe computers designed to be
secure, reliable and support large volumes of users
46
what type of tasks are desktops good for
high performance ones , graphic design, video editing
47
what type of tasks are laptops good for
wide range of day to day tasks, studying, day to day buisnesss
48
what type of tasks are tablets good for
simple applications, reading, browsing
49
what type of tasks are smartphones good for
communications and light computing tasks , email, web browsing
50
name 6 peripherals
keyboard, mouse, monitors, external storage, printers and scanners
51
what do larger monitors help do
improve productivity and reduce eye strain
52
what are printers and scanners necessary for
hard copy documentation and increasing the size of documents for users
53
what does external storage do
provides additional or backup storage capacity
54
name 7 accessibility aid peripherals
ergonomic keyboards, screen readers, braille displays, braille keyboards, braille printers, haptic feedback/ vibration devices, reading pen
55
what do ergonomic keyboards do
reduce strain on the hands, wrists and arms by prevents repetitive stress injuries
56
what do screen readers do
assist visually impaired users by reading text aloud to them
57
what do braille displays do
enable visually impaired users to read digital text
58
what do braille keyboards do
enables visually impaired users to use the keyboard effectively
59
what do braille printers do
print a hard copy of the document in braille for visually impaired uses to read
60
what do haptic feedback/vibration devices do
provide feedback to the users without reliance on visuals
61
what does a reading pen do
allows users with dyslexia to interpret text
62
what are the 3 types of software
productivity, specialised, accessibility
63
productivity software examples
word processors, spreadsheets, presentation tools
64
examples of specialised software
CAD, graphic design tools, database management systems
65
examples of accessibility software
screen readers, voice recognition software, magnification tools
66
what does matching software to user needs do
ensures optimal performance and accessibility
67
how can a system be configured to meet needs
system configurations, adjusting hardware and software settings
68
what are examples of system configuration
display settings (resolution, brightness, font size), audio settings, accessibility features (voice commands, high contrast modes)
69
what does using settings to meet users needs achieve
enhances usability and productivity, ensures the ICT system meets operational and security requirements
70
3 ways hardware and software can be configured to meet a users needs
network settings, adding user permissions, security protocols
71
what does changing network settings include
manage bandwidth to ensure users have a positive experience
72
what doe user permissions do
assign user roles, restrict access to sensitive data, ensure data security
73
what are security protocols
implement firewalls, antivirus software, and encryption for enhanced data protection
74
what are hardware accessibility solutions
adjustable monitor stands - provide ergonomic viewing positions to reduce strain, alternative input devices - trackballs, head pointers, adaptive keyboards
75
hardware accessibility features for users with limited mobility
gesture interface, braille keyboards, reading pen, puff suck switch, foot pedals, eye typers
76
what are software examples for accessibility problems
screen readers - reads out on screen text, voice to text applications - users can dictate and control devices via voice commands, customisable keyboard shortcuts - simplify navigation and command
77
what does RAM stand for
random access memory
78
what type of storage is RAM
primary - directly connected to the CPU and holds the data and instructions that are currently in use
79
is RAM volatile or non volatile
volatile - contents are lost when power is turned off
80
is RAM faster then secondary storage
yes
81
is RAM read/write
yes
82
what does read/write mean
can be read from and written to
83
what has a larger capacity RAM or ROM
RAM
84
what does increasing RAM capacity do
increase performance
85
what does ROM stand for
read only memory
86
what is ROM
primary storage that holds the first instructions a computer needs to start up (boot file)
87
where is ROM found and in what form
it is a small memory chip in the motherboard
88
what is ROMs speed like
fast memory, faster then secondary storage but slower then RAM
89
what is primary storage
volatile memory
90
what is secondary storage
non volatile memory
91
is ROM volatile or non volatile
non volatile - contents of ROM are not lost when power is turned off
92
what has a bigger capacity RAM or ROM
RAM
93
can ROM capacity be increased
no
94
what does EPROM stand for
erasable programmable read only memory
95
what does EEPROM stand for
electronically erasable programmable read only memory
96
what is flash memory
a type of EEPROM, non volatile, fast access times, low power consumption, used in solid stat drives, USB drives and SD memory cards
97
what does CPU stand for
central processing unit
98
what is the purpose of the CPU, and how does it do this
execute instructions, it does this by completing processor cycles
99
what is a modern CPU capable of
performing billions of processor cycles in 1 second
100
what are the 3 processor cycle stages
fetch, decode, execute
101
what is the fetch stage of the processor cycle
next instruction must be fetched from the computers memory (RAM). The instruction or data is brought back to the CPU.
102
what is the decode stage of the processor cycle
CPU works out what is required from the instruction
103
what is the execute stage of the processor cycle
the CPU will carry out the instruction that was fetched
104
what are examples of an CPU execution
performing a calculation, storing a result or data back in RAM
105
what is the speed of a processor measured by
clock speed
106
what is clock speed measured in
Hz
107
what does clock speed measure
the number of processor cycles that can take place in 1 second
108
what does a faster clock speed mean
the more instructions that can be fetched and executed per second
109
what does a core work like
it's own CPU
110
what does multiple core processors mean
they have separate processing units that can fetch, decode and execute instructions at the same time
111
what can multi core processors do
run more powerful programs with greater ease
112
software definition
programs that control the hardware , cannot be physically touched
113
what are the 2 categories of software
application and system
114
what is application software
software chosen by a user to help them carry out a specific task. It is installed on top of system software and is user chosen to best suit requirements
115
application software examples
word processing, spreadsheet, database management, video editing, graphics editing
116
what is system software essential for
the operation of a computer system
117
what does the computer have with no system software
no starting point for instructions
118
what does system software give users
a platform to run applications and carry out tasks
119
what are essential services carried out by system software
device drivers (controlling hardware), utilities
120
what is utility software
designed to maintain, enhance and troubleshoot/repair a computer system
121
what amount of tasks is utility software designed to perform
limited
122
what does utility software interact with
the computers hardware
123
what does defragmentation do
groups fragmented files together to improve access speed, can only be used on magnetic storage
124
what does compression do
reduces the amount of secondary storage required by performing an algorithm on the original data. It reduces file sizes
125
what is task manager
software built into the operating system to allow users to monitor system resources in order to help troubleshoot potential problems
126
what information does task manager give
processes, performance, app history, users, services, start up apps
127
what is an operating system
provides an interface between the user and the hardware in the computer system
128
what does the operating system hide from the user
complexities of the hardware
129
what are the 2 main types of operating systems
single user operating systems, network operating systems
130
operating system functions
memory management, resource management, security, print spooling
131
single user operating system features
single general user, no option to customise user interface, typically used in household appliances
132
network operating system features
provides access to network storage and shared resources, server is sent requests when users log in, user accounts are kept secret
133
what is memory management
process carried out by the operating system allocating main memory (RAM) between different programs that are open at the same time
134
what is the operating system responsible for
copying programs and data from secondary storage to primary storage as it is needed
135
136
what is RAM allocation based on
priority and fairness
137
how does the operating system manage memory
dynamically - adjusting allocation as needed to maintain system performance
138
what does memory management make possible
multi tasking
139
what is processor management
a process carried out by the operating system dividing time in to small chunks and allocating them to different programs
140
how many instructions can the CPU do at a time
1 , but it can do billions in a second
141
what does the operating system decide
what programs get access to the CPU
142
what is input / output management managed by
operating system - manages the way input and output devices interact with software
143
what system is file management carried out by and what does this do
operating system - creates, organises, manipulates and accesses files and folders on a computer system
144
what does file management give the user the availability to do
create new files/folders, names files/folders, copy them, move them, delete them
145
what can the operating system create on files
permissions
146
what does the operating system provide to find files
search facility
147
what is security management
a process carried out by the operating system enabling different users to log onto a computer
148
what does a system administrator do about files
allocate different access rights for different uses on a network
149
what does the operating system do to files
audits them (keeps a log)
150
what can provide software firewalls
operating system
151
what is print spooling
a process carried out by the operating system when printing is required. The spooler creates a temporary holding area for the print job, queuing pages increases efficiency.
152
what are office productivity tools
applications designed to enable common work related tasks to be carried out
153
what can word processing software create
letters, reports, essays , books
154
what is spreadsheet software often used for
tasks involving calculations. They allow users to model financial situations and answer what if questions. Forumulas and functions can be used
155
what type of tasks is desktop publishing software used for
ones with complicated page layouts
156
what is data base software used for
to store data
157
features of database software
data entry form design, perform queries to select data that meet a certain criteria, build reports to display data in a readable way
158
what is web authoring software
used for the creating of websites
159
how are websites made and displayed
written in HTML and translated by web browsers
160
what does web authoring software give users with limited HTML experience
tools to help them create websites
161
what is image editing software used for
manipulate and enhance digital photographs and images
162
common features on image editing software
resizing, adjusting brightness and contrast, applying filters, cropping
163
what is sound editing software used for
edit audio files
164
features of sound editing software
cut and join audio clips, alter volume, change tempo, add effects, apply audio processing
165
what is presentation software designed to do
to allow users to create multi media content that can be displayed
166
features of presentation software
transitions and animations, presenter notes, automatic or times navigation
167
what is control software
uses sensors to capture inputs, processes them and outputs something, can make something happen in a physical environment
168
what outputs can control software effect
actuators and motors, used in vehicles and engineering
169
what is project management software designed to do
make the organisation of projects more efficient by tracking individual tasks
170
features of project management software
timeline, critical path (shows time it takes to complete a task), milestones,
171
what type of charts are used in project management software to visualise project timelines
gannt charts
172
what is a software license
a legal agreement that lays out rules for how software can and cant be used
173
what are the 2 main types of software license
free or open source, proprietary
174
feature of free software
free to modify, study, copy or distribute
175
feature of open source software
access to source code to edit, able to edit and distribute
176
feature of proprietary software
costs money, produced by professional companies, more regular updates
177
what does free mean in terms of free software
free from restrictions and not the cost
178
advantages of free or open source software
people can collaborate to make changes, better versions of the software can appear faster, usually free - good for companies with limited budgets, generally strong social support
179
disadvantages of free/open source software
relies on support of other users, need expert knowledge to edit the code, many not receive regular updates, more open to exploitation through uses adding malicious code
180
advantages of proprietary software
generally free customer support, created to professional standards, always someone to go back to with any problems
181
proprietary software disadvantages
cost can be high, limited expansion - only what's available, relies on 1 company, many not fully meet need of user
182
what is communication software
provides remote access to systems. To exchange files and messages in different formats between different computers or users
183
examples of commination software
web browsers, email, social media, SMS/MMS, instant messaging
184
what is a web browser
software used to access and display information on the internet
185
what is the purpose of a web browser
renders HTML and display web pages
186
what do web browsers do to HTML
interpret the code and translate is visually
187
what does email do
exchange messages and files over the internet
188
main uses of email
personal communication, professional correspondence, marketing
189
what the guidelines called that companies provide about emails
acceptable use policy
190
what do guidelines about email include
purpose of email, acceptable language, email security
191
what is social media
a platform where users can connect with other to share content
192
what does social media facilitate
interaction, collaboration and information sharing on a large scale
193
what do privacy settings do on social media
control who can see their content
194
what does SMS and MMS stand for and what do they do
short messaging service and multimedia messaging service. They are a method of communication using a mobile phone method.
195
is internet required for SMS snd MMS
no
196
SMS character limit
160
197
MMS character limit
more then 160 and can include audio, video , animations, images
198
what does instant messaging require
an internet connection to allow multimedia communication between users
199
extra features of instant messaging
see when users are typing (online/offline status), includes location data
200
why is software updated
to fix bugs or software vulnerabilities, increase compatibility with newer operating systems, improve performance, introduce new features, improve usability
201
where are updated normally downloaded from
the internet
202
what can the operating system do to updates
schedule them to suit the users needs and minmise disruption
203
what do software updates require
removal of components to be replaced with new ones
204
what can updating cause (problems)
incompatibility - may not work with older software or hardware , workflow disruption - new features/interface take time to adjust to slowing down workflow, update issues - installation process can go wrong leading to data loss
205
risks of not updating software
unpatched/outdated software can lead to : data breaches, installation of malware
206
what are the 3 types of storage devices
magnetic, solid state, optical
207
what is a storage device
the hardware that reads from and writes to different storage medias
208
what type of storage are storage devices
non-volatile and secondary storage
209
is magnetic storage volatile or non volatile
non volatile
210
what does magnetic storage use
magnets to store binary 0s and 1s
211
advantages of magnetic storage
high capacity, lost cost , moderate read/write time
212
disadvantages of magnetic storage
durability - moving parts, portability - heavy and bulky, prone to mechanical failure, loud
213
5 components in a magnetic storage drive (HHD)
head actuator, red/write actuator drive, read/write head, spindle, platter
214
what does the head actuator do in magnetic storage drive (HHD)
controls actuator arm
215
what does read/write actuator arm
do in magnetic storage drive (HDD)
as the platter is spinning the arm locates and accesses the data needed so it can be read, written (edited) and deleted. Like on a record player
216
what does the read/write head do in magnetic storage drive (HDD)
device on the end of the read/write actuator arm and is used to write or read data on the platter
217
what does the spindle do in a magnetic storage drive (HHD)
holds the platter in place
218
what does the platter do in magnetic storage drive (HDD)
one or more disks that stores the data. These are coated with a magnetic media and platters rotate at different rotations per minute bases on the model of the Hard disk drive
219
what is solid state storage
non-volatile media that used electronic circuits to store binary 0s and 1s
220
advantages of solid state storage
high/medium capacity, very fast read/write time, durable - no moving parts, portable, silent
221
disadvantages of solid state
high cost, limited read/write cycles
222
what is fasts ssd or hdd
ssd
223
what is optical storage
non - volatile media that users lasers to burn the surface of a disk, creating pits and lands suitable for storing binary 0s and 1s
224
optical storage advantages
low cost, durable - no moving parts, portable, silent
225
disadvantages of optical storage
low capacity, slow read/write, prone to scratches
226
what are CDs used for
storing music, software, data files
227
what are DVDs used for
storing video, software, data
228
what are blue-ray discs used for
high definition video and data storage
229
what is a joystick used for
moves characters in a game
230
advantages of joystick
enhances experience, accurate
231
disadvantages of joystick
expensive
232
what does a scanner do
converts paper documents to electronic
233
advantages of a scanner
accurate, easy to store and share
234
disadvantages of scannner
quality depends on reolution
235
disadvantages of a digital camera
compression can lead to decrease in quality
236
how does a resistive touchscreen work
pressure causes layers to touch
237
how does a capacitive touchscreen work
finger causes a change in electrical charge and can be measured precisely
238
what does an OMR do
read marks on paper
239
pros and cons of OMR
fast processing, reduced human error, cannot read handwriting
240
barcode scanner pros and cons
fast and accurate, low cost, requires line of sight
241
what does a biometric scanner do
fingerprint/facial/voice/iris recognition
242
biometric scanner pros and cons
secure, fast, easy , privacy concerns, expensive
243
chip and pin reader pros and cons
secure, reduced fraud risk, requires pin input, cards can be stolen
244
what is an RFID reader
used for contactless payments
245
RFID pros and cons
fast, secure, transaction limit, signals can be intercepted
246
what do analogue sensors do
measure envirmental data
247
pros and cons of senors
accurate, automatic, real time information, may need calibration
248
what does an OCR do
text to digital data
249
pros and cons of OCR
fast data entry, accurate , can struggle with difficult layouts
250
output device definition
hardware that receives information and presents it to the user
251
input device definition
hardware that allows users to interact with a computer
252
what are the 3 types of monitors
CRT, LCD, LED
253
what is a laser printer used for, and how does it work
high volume printing , used electrically charged toner and dry ink
254
laser printer pros and cons
fast, high quality, expensive, limited to flat surfaces
255
what is an inkjet printer used for and how does it work
home printing and photographs, it used wet ink separated into black cyan magenta and yellow, tiny dots are then sprayed onto paper
256
inkjet printer pros and cons
cheaper, high quality, ink can be refilled, ink may smudge, slower
257
what is dot matrix printer used for and how does it work
when printing multiple copies, paper is impacted through a ribbon of ink
258
pros and cons of dot matrix printer
low cost, good for long print runs, slow, noisy, low quality
258
pros and cons of a projector
large display, space saving, requires darkened room, expensive, quality is variable
259
what do actuators do
control motors, pumps switches etc
260
pros and cons of actuators
precise, programmable, allow automatic control, requires power, mechanical wear, requires DAC interface
261
