Week 1 - Intro

Question 1

Name all the classes of computers:

There is 5 of them.

Answer 1

desktop, server, supercomputers, datacenter, embedded

Question 2

Characteristics of desktop computers?

Name 3.

Answer 2

for individual users, low cost, execute third-party software

Question 3

Characteristics of servers?

Name 4.

Answer 3

for running large programs for multiple users, accessed over network, based on software like database, handle complex applications or many small jobs

Question 4

Characteristics of supercomputers?

Name 2.

Answer 4

high performance, high cost

Question 5

Characteristics of datacenter?

Name 1, but it has 3 subparts.

Answer 5

room or building that handles power, cooling and networking

Question 6

Characteristics of embedded computers?

Just explain what it is.

Answer 6

computer inside another device for predetermined running software

Question 7

What is a computer?

4 important words.

Didn’t know how to phrase this better.

Answer 7

input, output, memory, network

input (mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone)
output (display, printer, speakers)
memory (cache, DRAM, SRAM, HDD, flash)
network (both input and output)

Question 8

What does abstraction do?

Answer 8

Abstraction hides the details of lower levels, but gives a useful view for a given purpose.

Abstraction is the process of removing elements of a code or program that aren’t relevant or that distract from more important elements.

Question 9

What does an algorithm determine?

from the ppt

Answer 9

the number of source level statements

Question 10

What do processor and memory system determine?

Answer 10

the speed of the executions of instruction

Question 11

What is the difference between ASCII and Unicode?

Answer 11

Unicode can represent many more characters than ASCII.

ASCII is a character encoding system that only includes up to 256 characters, primarily composed of English letters, numbers, and symbols. It uses up to eight bits to represent each character. In contrast, Unicode is a much larger encoding standard that includes over 149,000 characters. Uncode used 4 bytes, while ASCII uses only 1.

Question 12

What is one difference between RAM and HDD other than size/storage capacity?

Answer 12

RAM data is volatile, while HDD data has permanent storage.

Both RAM and HDD are types of computer memory. RAM is used to store computer programs and data that the CPU needs in real time. RAM data is volatile and is erased once the computer is switched off. HDD, hard disk, has permanent storage and it is used to store userspecific data and operating system files.

Question 13

What is the purpose of the device driver?

Answer 13

Device drivers are necessary to permit a computer to interface and interact with specific devices.

Question 14

What is an assembler?

Answer 14

a program that translates a symbolic version of instructions into the binary version

First program to translate from symbolic notation to binary was named an assembler and it translates a symbolic version of an instruction into the binary version (e.g. the programmer would write ADD A, B and the assembler would translate this notation into 1000110010100000 and this instruction tells the computer to add two numbers A and B). The name for this language is assembly language. In contrast, the binary language is the language that the machine understands and it is called the machine language.

Question 15

Advantages of high-level programming languages?

Name 3.

Answer 15

more natural language, improving productivity, programs independent of the computer on which they are developed

1. natural language + designed for specific use: HLL allow programmer to think in a more natural language, using English words and algebraic notation, as compared to assembly language. This results in programs that look much more like text than like tables of cryptic symbols. Also, they allow languages to be designed according to their intended use.
2. improving programmer’s productivity: HLL are concise compared to assembly language - One of the few areas of widespread agreement in software development is that it takes less time to develop programs when they are written in languages that require fewer lines to express an idea.
3. programs independent of the computer on which they are developed, since compilers and assemblers can translate high-level language programs to the binary instruction of any computer (regardless of the OS or the underlying
   hardware).

Question 16

What is a compiler?

Answer 16

a program that translates high level language statements into assembly language statements

Question 17

What are electronic signals?

Answer 17

computer alphabet 2 letters, 2 symbols, 1 and 0

Question 18

What are instructions?

Answer 18

commands that computer understands and obeys

Question 19

What is machine language?

Answer 19

a binary representation of machine instructions

Question 20

What is a high-level programming language?

Answer 20

a human-readable programming language with abstraction that simplifies complex tasks, offering ease of use and portability

Question 21

What is a motherboard?

Answer 21

a plastic board containing packages of integrated circuits or chips, including processor, cache, memory, and connectors for I/O devices such as networks and disks

Question 22

What is an integrated circuit?

Answer 22

a, chip, a device combining dozens to millions of transistors

Question 23

What is memory?

Answer 23

the storage area in which programs are kept when they are running and that contains the data needed by the running programs

Question 24

What is DRAM?

Answer 24

Volatile computer memory that requires constant refreshing to maintain data integrity, commonly used for main memory in electronic devices.

Dynamic Random Access Memory

Question 25

What is SRAM?

Answer 25

Volatile computer memory that stores data without the need for constant refreshing, providing faster access but requiring more physical space compared to DRAM.

Static Random Access Memory

Question 26

Difference between SRAM and DRAM?

Answer 26

SRAM: Fast, larger, more power.
DRAM: Slower, compact, power-efficient.

SRAM stores data using flip-flop circuits, providing faster access times and not requiring constant refreshing. However, it is larger, more power-hungry, and less dense. In contrast, DRAM utilizes capacitors for data storage, necessitating periodic refreshing and resulting in slower access times. DRAM is more compact, power-efficient, and suitable for high-density memory applications. While SRAM is commonly used in cache memory, DRAM serves as the main system memory in computers and electronic devices.

Question 27

What is a DIMM?

Answer 27

a smal board that contains DRAM chips on both sides

Dual In-Line Memory Module

Question 28

What is CPU?

Answer 28

the active part of the computer which contains the datapath and control and which adds numbers, tests numbers, signals I/O device to activate, and so on

Central Processor Unit, also called processor

Question 29

What is data path?

Answer 29

the component of the processor that performs arithmetic operations

Question 30

What is control?

CPU related

Answer 30

the component of the processor that commands the datapath, memory, and I/O devices according to the instructions of the program

Question 31

What is cache memory?

Answer 31

a small, fast memory that acts as a buffer for a slower, larger memory

Cache memory is a small, high-speed type of volatile computer memory located between the main memory (RAM) and the central processing unit (CPU). It stores frequently accessed instructions and data to expedite the retrieval process, enhancing overall system performance. Divided into levels, such as L1, L2, and sometimes L3, cache memory operates on the principle of temporal and spatial locality, ensuring that frequently used information is readily available to the CPU, reducing the need to access slower main memory.

Question 32

Explain Moore’s Law

Answer 32

Moore’s Law refers to Moore’s perception that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years, though the cost of computers is halved. Moore’s Law states that we can expect the speed and capability of our computers to increase every couple of years, and we will pay less for them.