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Computer science AS level > Chapter 3 Hardware > Flashcards

Chapter 3 Hardware Flashcards

1
Q

What are the main uses of a computer?

A
  1. Run a program

2. Store data

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2
Q

Which are the categories in a memory system hierarchy?

A
  1. Processor components - Register
  2. Primary Storage
  3. Secondary storage
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3
Q

What components does the Primary Storage contain?

A

The Primary Storage contains Cache memory and Main memory.

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4
Q

What does Cache memory do and what is it constructed of?

A

The Cache memory Stores data that is the most likely to be used by the processor and it is constructed of SRAM technology.

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5
Q

What does Main Memory do and what is it constructed of?

A

The Main Memory stores the data that the Cache memory needs to provide to the processor and it is constructed of DRAM technology.

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6
Q

What components does the Secondary Storage contain?

A

The Secondary Storage contains the Hard disk and the Auxiliary storage.

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7
Q

What does the Auxiliary storage do?

A

The Auxiliary storage contains a copy of the data in the Hard disk in case the data from the Hard disk gets accidentally deleted.

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8
Q

What does the Hard disk do?

A

The Hard disk stores the data of all the applications and software on the computer.

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9
Q

To which components does the processor have direct access to?

A

Register
Cache memory
Main memory

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10
Q

What does volatile mean?

A

Volatile means that information is lost when the computer is shut down.

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11
Q

What is Random Access Memory or RAM?

A

RAM is a volatile memory that can be read from and written to any number of times.

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12
Q

What is DRAM or Dynamic RAM?

A

DRAM are capacitors which leak electricity therefore need recharging every few milliseconds or the data on it will be deleted.

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13
Q

What is SRAM or Static RAM constructed of and what does it do?

A

SRAM is constructed of flip-flops which continue to store data even if the computer is switched off and compared to DRAM it takes shorter time to access.

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14
Q

What is a Read Only Memory or ROM?

A

A ROM is a non-volatile memory that can not be written to but, can be read from

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15
Q

What is PROM?

A

PROM is a programmable ROM.

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16
Q

What is EPROM?

A

EPROM is an Erasable PROM.

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17
Q

What is EEPROM?

A

EEPROM is an Electrically Erasable PROM.

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18
Q

What is a device driver?

A

A device driver is a software installed that controls a device.

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19
Q

Which parts of a computer are Magnetic Media?

A

Magnetic tape and Hard Disk are Magnetic Media.

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20
Q

Which of the two Magnetic Media is the older version.

A

The magnetic tape.

21
Q

In a hard disk drive what does a read write head do?

A

A read write head can both read and alternate the states of magnetization at a small position on a disk that can be interpreted either as a 0 or 1.

22
Q

The surface of a platter is divided into:

A

Tracks
Sectors
Blocks

23
Q

What do defregmenter softwares do?

A

The defregmenter softwares reallocate sectors for the data.

24
Q

What are optical media?

A

CD or Compact Disk
DVD or Digital Video Disk
Blue-ray DVD

25
Q

By what kind of laser is a CD read by?

A

Infra-red laser

26
Q

What is CD-DA standing for?

A

CD-DA stands for CD digital audio.

27
Q

What is CD-RW standing for?

A

CD-RW stands for CD read write

28
Q

What is CD-ROM standing for?

A

CD-ROM stands for CD read only memory meaning that the content can only be read not rewritten as well.

29
Q

What is DVD or Digital Versatile Disk

A

DVD is a disk that can contain data that is read by red-laser

30
Q

What is the difference between DVD and Blue-Ray DVD?

A

Blue-Ray DVD is read by blue laser light that has the shortest wave length and has a better focus.

31
Q

How do optical media work?

A

Mostly their surface is filled with pits that is recorded as 1 or land that is recorded as 0 and a laser beam reads the tracks.

32
Q

What influences the capacity on an optical media?

A

The capacity depends on how close the tracks are. The tracks on a disk contain the pits and lands.

33
Q

What can you tell about Solid State Media?

A

Solid state media has no moving parts, has Flash memory, is a form of EEPROM. A few examples of it are SSD and USB Flash dive or USB stick

34
Q

How are gray-scale images printed?

A

The gray-scale images are printed by varying the size and number of dots printed.

35
Q

How is the movement of a mouse monitored?

A

The light beam coming out of the mouse takes successive images like a camera and an image processing software interprets the movement of the mouse.

36
Q

Which are the pixels sub-pixels in a screen?

A

The colors red, green and blue

37
Q

What is an LCD or a Liquids-Crystal Display?

A

LCD is a screen back-lit by light-emitting diodes(LED) and with liquid crystal cells sandwiched between polarisers.

38
Q

Which are the two types of touchscreen and what is the difference between them?

A

The resistive touchscreen has two layer and one of the layer senses the pressure when the screen is pressed. In addition, the screen is flexible because it only has two layers.
Capacitive touchscreens are the most effective using the technology projective capacitive touch.

39
Q

What does Porjective capacitive touch technology have and what does it allow?

A

It has an array of capaciters bellow the screen and allows multi-touch.

40
Q

What does keyboard have to sense and send the keys touched?

A

A keyboard has its own microprocessor and ROM that records the input sent from the web of circuits connecting the keys.

41
Q

Which are the types of printers?

A

Inkjet printers
Inkjet Laser printers
3D printers

42
Q

Which are the advantages and disadvantages of inkjet printers?

A

The inkjet printer is the cheapest printer. However, the ink needed is expensive.

43
Q

What colors does an inkjet printer use?

A

Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.

44
Q

What are the distinctive features of an inkjet laser printer?

A

An inkjet laser printer writes with laser beams and has a photoreceptor drum that revolves for each color.

45
Q

What does a 3D printer do?

A

It prints a 3D object layer on layer using most of the time plastic or other materials.

46
Q

How is the sound turned into a digital signal?

A

Sound is turned into a digital signal with a diaphragm.

47
Q

What is a diaphragm?

A

Diaphragm is a flexible material which is caused to vibrate by an incoming sound

48
Q

What happens to the electrical signal generated with the diaphragm before it is processed by a sound card?

A

The electrical signal generated is converted to digital signal by an analogue to digital converter before it is processed by a sound card.

49
Q

What is a loudspeaker?

A

A loudspeaker is a device that outputs sound.

Computer science AS level (15 decks)

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